Garjiya Devi Temple is a

hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

Devi ''Devī'' (; ) is the Sanskrit word for 'goddess'; the masculine form is Deva (Hinduism), ''deva''. ''Devi'' and ''deva'' mean 'heavenly, divine, anything of excellence', and are also gender-specific terms for a deity in Hinduism. The concept ...

temple located in the Garjiya village 14 km north of the city Ramnagar,

Uttarakhand Uttarakhand (, ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2007), is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. The state is bordered by Himachal Pradesh to the n ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, on the outskirts of the

Corbett National Park Jim Corbett National Park is a List of national parks of India, national park in India located in the Nainital district of Uttarakhand state. The first national park in India, it was established in 1936 during the British Raj and named ''Hail ...

. It is a sacred

Shakti Shakti (Devanagari: शक्ति, IAST: Śakti; 'energy, ability, strength, effort, power, might, capability') in Hinduism, is the "Universal Power" that underlies and sustains all existence. Conceived as feminine in essence, Shakti refer ...

shrine where Garjiya Devi is the presiding deity. The

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...

is Perched on a large mountain rock at an elevation of 60 feet above the ground in the

Kosi river The Kosi or Koshi is a transboundary river which flows through China, Nepal and India. It drains the northern slopes of the Himalayas in Tibet and the southern slopes in Nepal. From a major confluence of tributaries north of the Chatra Gorge o ...

and is one of the most famous temples of the

Nainital district Nainital district is a district in Kumaon division which is a part of Uttarakhand state in India. The headquarters is at Nainital. Nainital District is located in Kumaon Division, and is located in the lower Himalayas. Haldwani is the largest ...

, visited by thousands of devotees during

Kartik Poornima Kartika Purnima (), also known as Kartika Pournami, is a Hinduism, Hindu, Sikhism, Sikh, and Jain cultural festival that is celebrated on ''purnima'' (full moon day), the 15th day of the lunar month Kārtika (month), Kartika. It falls on No ...

, a

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

holy day celebrated on the fifteenth lunar day of Kartik

Purnima Pūrṇimā () is the word for full moon in Sanskrit. The day of Purnima is the day ('' Tithi'') in each month when the full moon occurs, and marks the division in each month between the two lunar fortnights (paksha), and the Moon is aligned exac ...

a full moon day falling either in November or December. During this time, the temple is adorned with colourful bulbs and

diyas Zarina Diyas (; ; born 18 October 1993) is a Kazakh professional tennis player. She has been ranked as high as No. 31 by the WTA. Diyas has won one singles title on the WTA Tour, at the 2017 Japan Women's Open, along with nine singles titles ...

, exuding distinctive vibrancy. Various rituals and celebrations further enhance the temple's uniqueness during this festival. Garjiya Mata Temple is a Hindu shrine dedicated to the Goddess Garjiya, believed to be the reincarnation of 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, ...

. Beyond its spiritual importance, the temple's picturesque location also contributes to its popularity. Nestled beside the flowing river, amid lush greenery and surrounded by distant hills, it offers a visually appealing experience. The first priest was Pt. Keshav Dutt Pandey who began worship of Devi Girija. There is also a statue of LakshmiNarayan of 9th century, made from black granite. Many people from nearby areas go there every day to worship in the temple. Many people bathe in the Kosi river near Garjiya temple.

Best Time to Visit Garjiya Temple

The best time to visit Garjiya Temple is from October to May, as this period also allows for

safaris. Moreover, the major festivals celebrated at Garjiya Temple occur during the winter season.

Festivals

The temple is also known as the festival of lights of the gods.

Prabodhini Ekadashi Prabodhini Ekadashi (), also known as Deva Uttana Ekadashi (), is the 11th lunar day (''ekadashi'') in the bright fortnight (Shukla Paksha) of the Hindu month of Kartika. It marks the end of the four-month period of Chaturmasya, when the god V ...

is known as Dva-Diwali in some regions. The

Kartik Purnima Kartika Purnima (), also known as Kartika Pournami, is a Hindu, Sikh, and Jain cultural festival that is celebrated on ''purnima'' (full moon day), the 15th day of the lunar month Kartika. It falls on November or December of the Gregorian ...

festival also coincides with the

Sikh Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Si ...

festival of Guru Nanak Jayanti.

References

External links

Garjiya Devi Temple - thedivineindia.com

Hindu temples in Uttarakhand Devi temples in India Nainital district {{india-hindu-temple-stub

Best Time to Visit Garjiya Temple

Festivals

See also

References

External links