Nartiang Durga Temple, West Jaintia Hills, Meghalaya

Nartiang Durga Temple, West Jaintia Hills, Meghalaya

Nartiang Durga Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Mother Parvathi located at Nartiang in the West Jaintia Hills District of Meghalaya, a state in North-Eastern India. The Temple is believed to be 500 years old. Being one of the 51 Shakti Peethas of Hindu Mythology, this temple is one of the holiest sites for devotees of the Shakti sect of Hinduism.

Legends

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://hindutemples-india.blogspot.com/2019/06/nartiang-durga-temple-west-jaintia-hills-legends.html

History

This temple was built in the 16^th century by Jaintia King King Dhan Manik. The original structure of the temple was similar to a typical Khasi house, with a thatched roof over a central wooden pillar. Later the thatch was replaced by a corrugated tin roof. It had been further modified and reconstructed by Ramakrishna Mission of Cherrapunjee in the year 1987 to preserve, protect and encourage the tradition, faith and culture of the people.

The Temple

The temple is situated on top of a hill. Originally the temple resembled a thatched roof house, which is similar to most of the houses of the Khasi people. Later on, Ramakrishna mission took over the redevelopment of this temple at it got a tin roof and a more permanent structure. The temple has an idol of Goddess Durga, the main deity of the temple. But it also has a Shiva temple situated nearby the premises of the main temple. One can get a view of the Myundu River flowing below from the temple as it is set on the top of a hill right above the river.

In the basement, the temple houses the "Boli Garbha" or the ritual sacrificial pier. This place is connected to the river by a tunnel. The sacrificing ritual is followed at the Boli Garbha. Earlier humans were sacrificed at the temple during Durga Puja which was later banned by the British Government. Now human sacrifice is replaced by goats and ducks. The priest of this temple belong to the same family. Priesthood is passed on from generation to generation.

The temple is also an abode of ancient guns of the kings which makes it not only a place for the preachers of Goddess Durga but also an interesting place for the archaeologists and historians. The Village of Nartiang is significant for its summer palace of the Jaintia King whose capital was Jaintiapur. The remnants of the summer palace is located on a hillock approximately two kilometers from the Nartiang market.

This place is also called as Garden of Monoliths since, the place has several scattered monoliths (stone pillars). The temple overlooks the monoliths. The Monoliths are Menhirs (the upright stones) locally known as Moo Shynrang (Men) and Dolmens (the flat horizontal stones) known as Moo Kynthai (Women). Some of these were erected in the 1500 AD. The tallest Menhir is known as Moo Long Syiem. It is 8 metres high and 18 inches thick. It was named after U Mar Phalyngki a great warrior and Jaintia lieutenant.

Festivals

Durga Puja is the most important festival of this temple. During Durga Puja, a banana plant is dressed up and worshipped as the Goddess. At the end of the four-day festivities, the plant is ceremoniously immersed in the Myntdu River. A gun salute is also given to the Goddess on the occasion. It celebrates the Durga puja every autumn in a unique way with the fusion of the culture of Bengal and that of the Khasi-Jaintia Hills. In conformity of the Khasi custom of not using figurine images of Gods and Goddesses, the image of Durga is represented by a plantain trunk decked with marigold flowers.

Worship Practices

The rites at the temple not performed the conventional way as in the plains, but in a unique way, a blend of Hindu and ancient Khasi traditions. The local chieftain or Syiem is considered the chief patron of the temple. Even today, during Durga Puja, the Syiem sacrifices goats in the Goddess’s honour. Earlier, human sacrifice was offered at the temple, but the practice had been stopped by the British. The human head used to roll down a tunnel from the sanctum sanctorum to the Myntdu River flowing below. Nowadays, goats and ducks are sacrificed. But what is most interesting is the fact that the goats are made to wear human masks and then sacrificed.

Religious Significance

The Nartiang Devi temple is believed to be a Shakti Peetha, one of the most revered shrines of Shaktism because Shakti Peethas are holy abodes of Parashakti. The Shakti Peethas have originated from the mythology of Daksha Yaga and Sati's self-immolation Shiva carried the corpse of Sati Devi and body parts of the corpse fell in the path he wandered. There are 51 Shakti Peeth linking to the 51 alphabets in Sanskrit. Each temple have shrines for Shakti and Kalabhairava. The "Shakti" of Nartiang Devi shrine is addressed as "Jayanti" and the "Bhairava" as "Kramadishwar". It is believed that Sati Devi's left thigh has fallen here. It is a unique shrine in its own right as it synthesizes the two different religious traditions – Hinduism and the indigenous faith and blends the two harmoniously.

Administration

The Central Puja Committee, the official representative of the Hindu community in Meghalaya, is the caretaker of the temple. It finances a major part of the daily expenses incurred by the temple and carries out development activities in the temple premises. It is also responsible for the popularization of the Durga Puja conducted in this ancient temple.

Connectivity

The Temple is located at about 3 Kms from Nartiang, 61 Kms from Shillong, 62 Kms from Shillong Bus Station, 153 Kms from Guwahati Railway Station and 177 Kms from Guwahati Airport. This Temple is situated to east of Shillong. Guwahati Railway Station is the nearest railway station. Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport located in Guwahati is the nearest International Airport.

Location