Annapurna Devi Mandir (), also known as Annapurna Mata Mandir and Annapurna Mandir, is one of the most famous

Hindu temple A Hindu temple, also known as Mandir, Devasthanam, Pura, or Kovil, is a sacred place where Hindus worship and show their devotion to Hindu deities, deities through worship, sacrifice, and prayers. It is considered the house of the god to who ...

s (Mandir) in the holy city of

Varanasi Varanasi (, also Benares, Banaras ) or Kashi, is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world.* * * * The city has a syncretic tradition of I ...

. This temple has great religious importance in

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

and is dedicated to the goddess

Annapurna Annapurna (; ) is a mountain situated in the Annapurna mountain range of Gandaki Province, north-central Nepal. It is the 10th highest mountain in the world at above sea level and is well known for the difficulty and danger involved in its as ...

. Annapurna is the

Hindu goddess Hindu deities are the gods and goddesses in Hinduism. Deities in Hinduism are as diverse as its traditions, and a Hindu can choose to be polytheistic, pantheistic, monotheistic, monistic, even agnostic, atheistic, or humanist. Julius J. Lip ...

for nourishment and is a form of the goddess

Parvati Parvati (, , IPA: /Sanskrit phonology, pɑɾʋət̪iː/), also known as Uma (, , IPA: Sanskrit phonology, /ʊmɑː/) and Gauri (, , IPA: /Sanskrit phonology, gə͡ʊɾiː/), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the Devi, ...

. The current Annapurna Mandir was constructed in the 18th century by

Maratha The Marathi people (; Marathi: , ''Marāṭhī lōk'') or Marathis (Marathi: मराठी, ''Marāṭhī'') are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who are native to Maharashtra in western India. They natively speak Marathi, an Indo-A ...

Peshwa The Peshwa was the second highest office in the Maratha Empire, next in rank and prestige only to that of the Chhatrapati. Initially serving as the appointed prime minister in the Maratha Kingdom, the office became hereditary when Shahu gave t ...

Bajirao I Bajirao I (né Visaji, ; 18 August 1700 – 28 April 1740) was the 7th Peshwa of the Maratha Empire. He was appointed Peshwa at the age of nineteen by Shahu I, following the death of his father, Balaji Vishwanath. He is credited with establis ...

History

Annapurna Devi Mandir was constructed in 1729 AD by Maratha Peshwa Baji Rao.

Construction

The temple is constructed in

Nagara architecture Nagara Style or Nagara architectural style is a Hindu style of temple architecture, which is popular in Northern, Western and Eastern India (except the Bengal region), especially in the regions around Malwa, Rajputana and Kalinga. Temples classi ...

and has sanctum with large pillared porch, which houses a picture of goddess

. The temple also houses two icons of the goddess; one made of gold and other of brass. The brass icon is available for daily

darshan Darshan, a Sanskrit word meaning "sight" or "viewing", may refer to: Ceremony and religion * Darshan (Indian religions), the auspicious sight of a divine image or holy person; also a school of Hindu philosophy * Darshan (Judaism), a Scriptural ...

(viewing & worship). The gold icon can be only seen once a year; on

Annakut Govardhan Puja (), also known as Annakut or Annakoot (meaning a “mountain of food”), is a Hindu festival celebrated on the first lunar day of the Paksha#Shukla Paksha, bright fortnight of the month of Kārtika (month), Kartika, on the fourth ...

day.

Legend

Hindu mythology Hindu mythology refers to the collection of myths associated with Hinduism, derived from various Hindu texts and traditions. These myths are found in sacred texts such as the Vedas, the Itihasas (the ''Mahabharata'' and the ''Ramayan ...

, there are two popular beliefs behind the origin of this temple. According to one belief, once the goddess

closed all three eyes of her husband

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

. Due to this, the entire world was filled with darkness. Parvati lost her fair complexion (''Gauri'' form). She asked Shiva for his help to reacquire her Gauri form. Shiva asked her to donate ''anna'' (food) in Varanasi. Hence, she took the form of

(the goddess of food) with a golden pot and ladle, and donated food in Varanasi. According to another belief, once Shiva commented that the entire world (including food) is ''

maya Maya may refer to: Ethnic groups * Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America ** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples ** Mayan languages, the languages of the Maya peoples * Maya (East Africa), a p ...

'' (illusion). Parvati, the goddess of food, got angry and decided to demonstrate the importance of food by making all the food on earth disappear. The world started to suffer due to hunger. Shiva finally came to Parvati and acknowledged the importance of food, begging for food at her door. Parvati became happy, offered food by her own hands to Shiva and then made a kitchen in Varanasi for her devotees.

Location

Annapurna Devi Mandir is situated in Visheshwarganj,

. It is situated 15 meters North-West of the famous Kashi Vishwanath Mandir, 200 meters west of

Vishalakshi Temple The Vishalakshi Temple, also known as Vishalakshi Gauri Mandir and Vishalakshi Amman Kovil. It is one of the famous Hindu temple at Varanasi. Dedicated to the goddess Vishalakshi (an aspect of the goddess Parvati). It was Built and Maintained b ...

, 350 meters West of

Manikarnika Ghat Manikarnika Ghat (Hindi: मणिकर्णिका घाट) is one of the holiest cremation grounds among the sacred riverfronts ( ghats), located on the banks of River Ganges, in the city of Varanasi in the Indian state of Uttar Prade ...

, 5 kilometers South-East of

Varanasi Junction railway station Varanasi Junction railway station (station code: BSB), also known as Varanasi Cantt railway station, is the main railway station serving the city of Varanasi. The other key railway stations in the Varanasi Metro area are Banaras, Varanasi Ci ...

and 4.5 kilometers North-East of

Banaras Hindu University Banaras Hindu University (BHU), formerly Benares Hindu University, is a collegiate, central, and research university located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India, and founded in 1916. The university incorporated the Central Hindu College, ...

Annapuran Devi Temple, Indore

There is one more Annapurna Mandir, which is in

Indore Indore (; ISO 15919, ISO: , ) is the largest and most populous Cities in India, city in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The commercial capital of the state, it has been declared as the List of cleanest cities in India, cleanest city of In ...

city, state MP. Maa Annapurna is the Goddess of Food and Nourishment. The entrance of the temple is adorned with four-life size statues of elephants, and the architectural splendour of the temple makes it a must-visit for all tourists.

Annapurna Devi Temple, Kannauj

This temple dedicated to Goddess Annapurna is situated in the outskirts of

Kannauj Kannauj (Hindustani language, Hindustani pronunciation: ) is an ancient city, administrative headquarters and a municipal board or Nagar palika, Nagar Palika Parishad in Kannauj district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Ut ...

. This is a miraculous temple dedicated to the Goddess, every year lakhs of people come here to visit.https://hindi.news18.com/news/uttar-pradesh/kannauj-hindu-temple-of-kannauj-soil-becomes-farmers-rich-and-happy-know-history-5640875.html

References

{{Portal bar, India, Hinduism, Religion 18th-century Hindu temples Hindu temples in Varanasi 18th-century establishments in India