The Chandi Devi Temple, Haridwar is a Hindu temple dedicated to the goddess Chandi Devi in the holy city of Haridwar in the state of Uttarakhand in India. The temple is situated on top of Neel Parvat on the eastern crest of the Sivalik Hills, the southernmost mountain range in the Himalayas. The Chandi Devi Temple was built in 1929 by Suchat Singh during his reign as King of Kashmir. However, the main Chandi Devi murti in the temple is said to have been installed in the 8th century by Adi Shankaracharya, one of the greatest priests of the Hindu religion. The temple also known as Neel Parvat Teerth is one of the Panch Tirth (Five Pilgrimages) located within Haridwar.
Chandi Devi Temple is highly revered by devotees as a Siddh Peetha, which is a place of worship where wishes are fulfilled. It is one of the three Peethas located in Haridwar, the other two being the Mansa Devi Temple and the Maya Devi Temple.
Chandi Devi
The goddess Chandi, also known as Chandika, is the presiding deity of the temple. The origin story of Chandika is as follows: Long ago, the demon kings Shumbha and Nishumbha had captured the kingdom of the sky god-king, Indra, and had thrown the gods from Swarga (heaven). After intense prayers from the gods, a goddess emerged from Parvati. An exceptionally beautiful woman and in awe of her beauty, Shumbha desired to marry her. Upon being rejected, Shumbha sent her demonic chiefs Chanda and Munda to kill her. They were killed by the goddess Chamunda, which originated from the wrath of Chandika. Shumbha and Nishumbha collectively tried to kill Chandika, but were killed by the goddess. Thereafter, Chandika is said to have rested for a short time on top of Neel Parvat and later a temple was built here to testify to the legend. Also, the two peaks located in the mountain range are called Shumbha and Nishumbha.
The Temple
The temple is located at a distance of 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) from Har ki Pauri. To get to the temple, one has to follow the three-kilometer hiking trail from Chandighat and reach the shrine by climbing several steps or climbing the recently introduced cable car service. The cable car service known as Chandi Devi Udankhatola was introduced for the benefit of pilgrims and serves pilgrims also to the nearby Mansa Devi shrine. The cable car takes pilgrims from the lower station located near the Gauri Shankar Temple on the Nazibabad road directly to the Chandi Devi Temple located at an altitude of 2,900 meters (9,500 feet). The total length of the cable car route is about 740 meters (2,430 feet) and the height is 208 meters (682 feet). There is a dense forest on the other side of the hill and the cable car offers panoramic views of the Ganges River and Haridwar.
The temple is run by Mahant, who is the presiding priest of the temple. On a typical day, the temple is open between 6:00 a.m. M. at 8:00 p.m. and the morning aarti at the temple starts at 5.30 am. Leather accessories, non-vegetarian food, and alcoholic beverages are strictly prohibited on the temple premises.
Significance
The temple is one of the oldest temples in India. Thousands of devotees flock to the temple, especially during the Chandi Chaudas and Navratra festivals and the Kumbha Mela in Haridwar, to seek the blessings of the goddesses who are believed to fulfill their wishes. The temple is a must see for pilgrims going to Haridwar.
Very close to the Chandidevi temple, there is the temple of Anjana, mother of Hanumanji and the devotees who visit the Chandi Devi temple also visit this temple. The Neeleshwar temple is also situated at the foot of the Neel Parvat. It is said [citation needed] that Mansa and Chandi, the two forms of the goddess Parvati, always reside close to each other. The Mansa temple is exactly across the top of the hill at Bilwa Parvat on the opposite bank of the Ganges River. This belief can also be found true in other cases, as near Mata Mansa Devi Mandir in Panchkula, Haryana, there is a Chandi Mandir located nearby in Chandigarh.
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