Shri Durgiana Mandir ( Punjabi: ਸ਼੍ਰੀ ਦੁਰਗਿਆਨਾ ਮੰਦਿਰ) (

Hindi Hindi ( Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...

: श्री दुर्गियाना मंदिर), is a

Hindu temple A Hindu temple, or ''mandir'' or ''koil'' in Indian languages, is a house, seat and body of divinity for Hindus. It is a structure designed to bring human beings and gods together through worship, sacrifice, and devotion.; Quote: "The Hin ...

situated in the city of Amritsar,

Punjab, India Punjab (; ) is a state in northern India. Forming part of the larger Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, the state is bordered by the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh to the north and northeast, Haryana to the south and southeast, and ...

. Though a Hindu temple, its architecture is similar to the Sikh Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple). This temple derives its name from the Goddess

Durga Durga ( sa, दुर्गा, ) is a major Hindu goddess, worshipped as a principal aspect of the mother goddess Mahadevi. She is associated with protection, strength, motherhood, destruction, and wars. Durga's legend centres around c ...

, the chief Goddess who is worshipped here. Murtis of

Lakshmi Lakshmi (; , sometimes spelled Laxmi, ), also known as Shri (, ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism. She is the goddess of wealth, fortune, power, beauty, fertility and prosperity, and associated with ''Maya'' ("Illusion"). Alo ...

and

Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" withi ...

are also located and worshipped in the temple. Although it is believed that Durgiana Mandir was built in 1921, the temple existed before it was rebuilt in 1921. It is confirmed by record in Amritsar District Gazetteer of 1893, which talks about Durgiana Sarovar and "Devi dwara" surrounding it which was thronged by Hindu pilgrims.

History and architecture

The Sri Durgiana temple is a very important temple for

Hindus Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

. In the courtyard of the temple is a tree where

Lava Lava is molten or partially molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a fracture in the crust, on land or un ...

and

Kusha Kusha was a Suryavansha The Solar dynasty ( IAST: Suryavaṃśa or Ravivaṃśa in Sanskrit) or the Ikshvaku dynasty was founded by the legendary king Ikshvaku.Geography of Rigvedic India, M.L. Bhargava, Lucknow 1964, pp. 15-18, 46-49, 92-98 ...

bound

Hanuman Hanuman (; sa, हनुमान, ), also called Anjaneya (), is a Hindu god and a divine '' vanara'' companion of the god Rama. Hanuman is one of the central characters of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He is an ardent devotee of Rama and on ...

after the captured challenge horse of the

Ashvamedha yajna The Ashvamedha ( sa, अश्वमेध, aśvamedha, translit-std=IAST) was a horse sacrifice ritual followed by the Shrauta, Śrauta tradition of Historical Vedic religion, Vedic religion. It was used by ancient Indian kings to prove their im ...

. Iksvaku, the grandson of sun-god, performed a number of yagyas on this land. The original temple was built in 16th century. The architecture of Sri Durgiana Temple is similar to Shri Harmandir Sahib. It was built in 1921 by Guru Harsai Mal Kapoor in the architectural style of the Sikh Shri Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) . Harsai Mal was a descendant of

Prithi Chand Prithi Chand (Gurmukhi: ਪ੍ਰਿਥੀ ਚੰਦ; 1558–April 1618) was the eldest son of Guru Ram Das – the fourth Guru of Sikhism, and the eldest brother of Guru Arjan – the fifth Guru.Guru Ram Das.The grandchildren of Harsai Mal Kapoor is currently living in amritsar and one of caretakers of the idol of Harsai mal Kapoor. Existence of the Talab is also mentioned in 1868 Municipal committee, Amritsar documents. John Campbell Oman who was Professor of natural science in The Government College, Lahore mentioned about durgiana in his book where he found some mystics practicing yoga. Durgiana Mandir is recorded in Amritsar District Gazetteer of 1893 which talks about Durgiana Sarovar and "Devi dwara" surrounding it which was thronged by Hindu pilgrims. Even though Amritsar is not declared a Holy city, restrictions are in force prohibiting sale of tobacco, liquor and meat within a radius of around this temple and the Shri Harmandir Sahib (Sikh Golden Temple).

Location

The temple is situated near the Hathi gate in Amritsar. It is very close to the

Amritsar railway station Amritsar (), historically also known as Rāmdāspur and colloquially as ''Ambarsar'', is the second largest city in the Indian state of Punjab, after Ludhiana. It is a major cultural, transportation and economic centre, located in the Majha ...

, and is about from the bus station.

Features and designs

The temple is built in the middle of a

sacred lake Sacred waters are sacred natural sites characterized by tangible topographical land formations such as rivers, lakes, springs, reservoirs, and oceans, as opposed to holy water which is water elevated with the sacramental blessing of a cler ...

, which measures × . Its dome and canopies are similar to that of the Golden temple of Sikh religion, also located in Amritsar. A bridge provides the approach to the temple. The dome of the temple is gilded. Marble is used extensively in the temple's features. The dome is illuminated with colourful lights. The temple is sometimes called Silver temple because of its large exquisitely designed silver doors. It has a rich collection of

Hindu scriptures Hindu texts are manuscripts and voluminous historical literature which are related to any of the diverse traditions within Hinduism. A few of these texts are shared across these traditions and they are broadly considered Hindu scriptures. These ...

. The temple complex also has some historic subsidiary temples such as Seetla Mata and Bara

. Templo Durgiana-Amritsar-India08.JPG, Silver Doors of the Durgiana Temple. Templo Durgiana-Amritsar-India09.JPG, Close-up view of Durgiana Temple. File:The gold plated sculptures looked very nice in the early morning sun (38935881431).jpg, The gold plated embossed sculptures

Festivals and Cultural events

Major Hindu festivals celebrated in the temple are Dussehra,

Janmashtami Krishna Janmashtami , also known simply as Krishnashtami, Janmashtami, or Gokulashtami, is an annual Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu. According to the Hindu lunisolar calendar, it is observed ...

Rama Navami Rama Navami () is a Hindu festival that celebrates the birthday of Rama, the seventh avatar of the deity Vishnu. people from different parts of Jharkhand attended the world famous international Hazaribagh procession organized in the city every ...

, and Diwali. A Sāwan festival is also celebrated in Durgiana Mandir in the Holy

Shravan Shravana Kumara () is a character mentioned in the ancient Hindu text ''Ramayana.'' He is best known for his filial piety towards his parents. He was killed accidentally by Prince Dasharatha. Life Shravana Kumara's parents, Shantanu and Gyanva ...

month of Hindu Calendar where newlywed couples gather at temple to worship

Radha Krishna Radha-Krishna ( IAST , sa, राधा कृष्ण) are collectively known within Hinduism as the combined forms of feminine as well as the masculine realities of God. Krishna and Radha are the primeval forms of God and his pleasure pote ...

. Women adorn themselves with flower jewellery and worship at temple along with their husbands. Another festival celebrated in Durgiana temple complex is the famous 'Langur Mela' during 10 days of

Navratri Navaratri is an annual Hindu festival observed in the honour of the goddess Durga. It spans over nine nights (and ten days), first in the month of Chaitra (March/April of the Gregorian calendar), and again in the month of Sharada. It is o ...

and Dussehra. Pilgrims in large numbers throng to the Bada Hanuman temple, with their children dressed as Langur to offer prayers in this temple, situated in the Durgiana temple complex.

Renovation

The temple and its precincts were under a beautification programme since 2013, and was completed in 2015. This will provide more space for worship both inside and outside the temple premises. As per the Master Plan prepared for reshaping the environment around the temple, 55 properties had been acquired with adequate compensation package and demolished for the purpose of development works. Under this plan, a multi-storied parking complex, an open-air theatre, a shopping complex and other facilities were under construction.

References

Notes

* * * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Durgiana Temple Tourist attractions in Amritsar Hindu temples in Punjab, India Durga temples Hindu temples in Amritsar district 16th-century Hindu temples 20th-century Hindu temples