Sati – Shakti Peeth temple at Patna
Shakti Peeths have been formed when Devi Sati’s body parts fell on earth. Bhagwan Vishnu’s cut the body of Sati into pieces with sudarshan chakra when Lord Shiva was angry and dancing while carrying her. There are total 51 places where Sati’s body parts have fallen, though there is some dispute on the numbers. Patna or Patliputra is one of those places where Sati’s body parts have fallen.
Bari Patan devi
Devi Sati’s right thigh fell in the city of Patna. This place is known as Patan Devi. It is also believed that Patna is named after Patan devi.
The places where parts of Sati have fallen are known as Shakti Peeths. City of Patna used to be known by the name “Magadha” in earlier times. Devi’s right thigh fell here and the idols are Devi as Sarvanandkari and Shiva as Vyomkesha.
There are chhoti(small) Patan devi and bari (big) Patan devi temples.
Bari Patan Devi
The temple of Bari Patan Devi, Patna faces North, towards the Ganges river. The statues of the temple is in black stone. At the entrance of the temple there is a portico of dimension 1.5′ x 15′. After that there is a room of about 8′ x 8′ for gods namely, Mahakali, Maha Lakshmi and Maha Saraswati and Bhairav. All the idols are kept on simhasans (thrones) of about 4 square in cross section and have a height of about 7 feet. The goddesses are attired in sarees.
Idols of Maha Kali, Maha Laxmi and Maha Sarawati
In Hindu mythology, these Goddesses protected Putraka, who was the founder of Pataliputra. A strange stone image has been found in a tank near the Bari Patan Devi Temple, Patna. That image has been kept in the eastern veranda of the main temple where this stone is being worshiped regularly.
Devotees can go to the temple at any time of the day. The temple does not distinguish between any caste or creed and hence is open for all religions and castes. Tuesday is a special day for the devotees and a large number of worshipers visit the temple. Promises are being made before the Goddess and on the fulfillment of the wishes devotees offer gifts and sarees in the temple.
Lord Hanumana at Patan Devi
Chhoti Patan Devi
This temple is situated in the Chowk area of Patna City. Once was considered as the main presiding deity of Patna. Over the years it has slipped to the second position of eminence, after the Bari Patan Devi temple, as city’s presiding deity, with epithet ‘Chhoti’ (smaller) to the more popular one, the Bari (bigger) Patan Devi. But according to a historian, this very temple (Chhoti Patendevi) which held the primary position as the city’s presiding deity during 18th and early 19th century.
The temple houses a host of intact and severed Brahmanical images, including, Ganesh, Vishnu and Surya. Beyond the temple, but within its precincts, lie in open fragments of door jumbs/lintels and yet other set of images. Of these, an impressive, but broken sun-image is the most prominent. According to many historians, it is very likely that some early medieval temple was built here.
Patna is also famous for other holy places and places of historical importance. Temple of Sikh’s tenth Guru Gobind Singh Ji is also in patna. Golghar is another tourist attraction.
Mahavir Mandir just near to Patna railway station is also a must to visit place.
Earlier, Patna was also called Azimabad, as derived from the name of Ajima Sahab. Lots of people suffering from small pox and chicken pox come here for cure. Vijayadashami is the most important festival celebrated here.
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