Chintpurni Temple

Chintpurni Temple

Chintpurni Temple is located at the distance of 83kms. from chamunda on Dharamshala-Palampur road.Chintpurni is a major pilgrimage center and one of the Shakti Peethas in India. The Chintpurni shakti peeth (Chhinnamastika shakti peeth) is located in Una district Himachal Pradesh state, surrounded by the western Himalaya in the north and east in the smaller Shiwalik (or Shivalik) range bordering the state of Punjab.

Chintpurni is a major idolized shrine of the Hindus, which is located in the Una district of Himachal Pradesh. It is placed on one of the highest peaks of the Sola Singhi Range. Chintpurni Devi is the goddess here who takes away all the worries and stress of devotees. In this temple, the Goddess is showed without her head in a pindi form (round stone). Many Devotees have been flocking Shaktipeeth for centuries to worship at the lotus feet of Mata Shri Chhinnamastika Devi.

When Lord Vishnu severed the burning body of Maa Sati into 51 pieces so that Lord Shiva would calm down and stop his Tandava, the pieces were scattered over various places in the Indian subcontinent. It is believed that Sati’s head fell at this place and is thus considered one of the most important of the 51 Shakti Peethas.

The goddess residing in Chintpurni is also known by the name of Chhinnamastika. According to Markandeya Purana, goddess Chandi defeated the demons after a fierce battle but two of her yogini emanations (Jaya and Vijaya) were still thirsty for more blood. Goddess Chandi cut off her own head to quench Jaya and Vijaya’s thirst for more blood.

She is usually shown holding her own severed head in her hand, drinking one stream of blood spurting from the arteries in her neck, while at her side are two naked yoginis, each of whom drinks another stream of blood.

Chhinnamasta, the headless goddess, is the Great Cosmic Power who helps the sincere and devoted yogi to dissolve his or her mind, including all the preconceived ideas, attachments and habits into the Pure Divine Consciousness. Cutting off the head suggests the separation of the mind from the body, that is the freedom of the consciousness from the material confines of the physical body.

According to Puranic traditions, Chhinnamastika Devi will be protected by Shiva – Rudra Mahadev in the four directions. There are four Shiva temples – Kaleshwar Mahadev in the east, Narayhana Mahadev in the west, Muchkund Mahadev in the north and Shiva Bari in the south – which are nearly equidistant from Chintpurni. This also confirms Chintpurni as the abode of Chhinnamastika Devi.
Distance from Chintpurni Temple to Shri Chamunda Nandikeshwar Temple is 83kms.