Kalimath is a village in
Rudraprayag District of the Indian state of
Uttarakhand. It is regarded as a divine place and ''
shakti peeth''.
Geography
It lies at an altitude of around on the
Saraswati river in the
Himalayas, surrounded by the peaks of
Kedarnath. Kalimath is situated close to
Ukhimath and
Guptakashi.
It is one of the ''Siddha Peeths'' of the region and is held in high religious esteem.
Religion
The temple of Goddess
Kali there is visited by devotees year round, especially during the ''
Navratras
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 ...
''. This holy shrine is one of 108 Shakti Peethas in India as per Srimad Devi Bhagwat. The upper part of Kali is worshipped in
Dhari Devi
Dhari Devi a Hindu temple located on the banks of the Alaknanda River between Srinagar and Rudraprayag in the Garhwal Region of Uttarakhand, India. The temple is home to the upper half of the idol of the goddess Dhari, while the lower half of ...
. The remaining part in Kalimath religious tradition is that Kalimath is where Kali killed the demon
Raktavija and went under the earth. Kalimath is the only place where the goddess
Kali is worshipped along with her sisters
Laxmi
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
Saraswati.
No idol is worshipped in the temple. Instead the Sri Yantra is the object of devotion. On one day each year the goddess is taken out and Puja is performed at midnight, with only the chief priest present.
Near the temple are other ancient temples to Laxmi, Saraswati, Gauri Shankar and many antique
Shivlings, idols of
Nandi
Nandi may refer to:
People
* Nandy (surname), Indian surname
* Nandi (mother of Shaka) (1760–1827), daughter of Bhebe of the Langeni tribe
* Onandi Lowe (born 1974), Jamaican footballer nicknamed Nandi
* Nandi Bushell (born 2010), South Afri ...
and
Ganesh, etc.
An eternal holy flame always burns in the temple of Laxmi.
Bhairava Mandir is located nearby. Barti Baba is credited for preserving the sanctity of this holy shrine. All the people who met him and the locals say that he had a direct connection with Maa Kali.
The guru and Member of Parliament,
Satpal Maharaj, set up a small
Dharamshala near the temple where pilgrims can stay. About 2 km east is Kunjethi village, hosting two temples of Mata Manana Devi and Mankameshwar Mahadev. 6 km from Kalimath at the top of a hill there is a huge Kalishila and another one Kali Temple.
Barkha Giri Baba and Sarawati Mai lived there in a hut for many years.
Notables
The village is the birthplace of
Kalidas
Kālidāsa (''fl.'' 4th–5th century CE) was a Classical Sanskrit author who is often considered ancient India's greatest poet and playwright. His plays and poetry are primarily based on the Vedas, the Rāmāyaṇa, the Mahābhārata and ...
, a
Sanskrit poet.
References
{{Rudraprayag district
Villages in Rudraprayag district