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;
History
This temple was built in the 16th
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
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