Sheetal Mata : Biharsharif

Sheetla Mata Temple & Mithi Kuan : Collage Vidisha.

A Sacred Temple : A Seat of Belief.

Sheetal Mata Temple. - In just the outskirts of the district head quarter town Biharsharif there is a very famous and sacred temple of Sheetla maa. The  temple is situated nearby the pond in the Maghada village . It is said that who takes a holy bathe in this mythical, religious and divine  pond gets a certain cure from the skin disease. 

Priest of the temple claims that the devotees of mata Sheetla get rid of different diseases specially like, small pox and chicken pox after taking a bathe in the adjacent pond and worshipping the Sheetala Maa. 

In History : In the religious scripture Skandpuran there lies a description about the temple of Sheetala Mata. While travelling around the Patliputra and nearby areas the Chinese traveller Fahien also describes about a holy temple in his travelogue that is situated at the bank of river Panchane that flows 

along with the town, Biharsharif. 

inside the Maa Sheetala Temple.

Myth about Maa : It is a myth that the bracelet of Maa Sati fell on this place. Or somewhat a devotee king dreamt of  Maa Sheetala  telling him about her rescue by being unearthed.

Mithi Kuan : There is a well near the sacred temple out of which the statue of Maa Sheetala was taken out and it is regarded as the in-laws house of Maa Sheetala. Resultedly now the dug place remained a well. And the statue was taken out  enshrined in a temple, known as Sheetla Mata Temple. It is said that the water of the well is too magical and sweet in the taste.

It is also said that the water offered on the statue of Maa Sheetala has the magical power to cure various kinds of diseases. Apart from this water has been instilled with the power to fulfill the desire of the worshippers.

As per the sources provided by a localite, resident of Maghra village Mukesh Kumar, an environmentalist comes with a fact that the divine well is due to the blessing of maa and  the sacred well never gets dried up even in the extreme summer since ancient time.

However there is a geographical, situational possibility of nearness of the rich water resources ,the river Panchane that fills the well full of water throughout the year.

Inside the temple : There is a 12 inch tall deity of Maa Sheetla made up of a  black stone aligned by Surya and Chandra. Unlike other shakti peeths there is a complete ban over the  sacrificing of the animals like goats in the court of Mata Sheetla, But after fulfilling their wishes although many devotees donate a buck or a nany  to the priest of the temple every year. 

the holy tank ,Maa Temple and Mithi Kuan.

Sheetlashtami Fair : Always on the occasion of Chaitra Krishnapaksh Saptami and Ashtami  or in the month of April there a three day fair is held here. The famous fair Sheetlashtami takes place in which people and devotees come from different areas adjoining places of Biharsharif, Jehanabad, Shekhpura and Nawada for the worshipping of goddess Sheetla. 

As it is our belief on the Chaitra Krishnapaksh Saptami the deity of Maa was found and the very next day Chaitra Krishna Paksh Ashtami the deity was enshrined in the temple.  The ancient tradition has been going on since ancient times, to set up a flag on the occasion of Ram Navami in the mother's compound. This temple has a large crowd of devotees on every Tuesday.

How to reach : First reach Nalanda district head quarter town Biharsharif, is well connected from railhead and road ways from the major cities of Bihar and India others like Patna,Gaya, Varanasi, Lucknow, Delhi and Kolkatta.

It is just 1.5 to 2 kilometers away from the town bypass center Ambedkar Mode in Biharsharif so ample conveyance is available from the city. A number of e-rickshaw and  auto rickshaws are  available for the tourists.

How to plan : Take an e-rickshaw. Reserve it for the payment of only about 50 rs for your group of 5 to 6 persons. Otherwise by paying only 5 rupees single person can reach that place. You will come across the bridge in the way of Biharshairf Jehanabad. By passing through the bridge you may have a bird's eye view over the span of the river Panchane. Really you may realize that time there is ample possibility of tourism for the making of the river front area, and a need of  boat house club in the locality. Stay there for one hour, click photos of your choice and return back to your destination. All together it will take maximum 2 hours but will give you certainly a great deal of mental and psychological relief. 

 

Dr.Madhup Raman.

Free Lance Cartoonist,Vlogger & Blogger.

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