Shila Devi Temple Jaipur houses the famous idol of Goddess Durga situated in the Amber fort. It is believed that Maharaja Mansingh brought the statue of the Goddess Shila Mata from Jessore, Bangladesh in 1604. Legends say that the Goddess appeared in his dreams and asked him to recover her statue lying under sea near Jessore (now in Bangladesh) and install it in a Temple. According to the orders the idol was recovered from the sea in the form of a Shila (Slab). It was brought to the Amber Fort where it was cleaned and washed. The outcome of the process was the idol that is present today. Hence the name Shila Mata. It took ten long years to build the temple.
History of Shila Devi Temple
The Shila Mata Temple also known as the Kali Temple was built by Maharaja Man Singh, a great devotee of goddess Kali in the 16th century. It is said that he used to worship the goddess for victory during battles. This temple is located in the Amber Palace complex. Legends say that Maharaja Man Singh I worshiped the Goddess for victory over the rulers of Bengal during his battle. The temple is named after Shila Devi. Shila meaning stone slab from where the statue has been polished. It has an image of Lord Ganesha on the doorway that is wonderfully carved from a single piece of coral.
About Shila Devi Temple, Jaipur
shila devi amber photo | jaipur photo | goddess photoThe Shila Devi Temple is situated at Amber Fort of Pink City Jaipur. Maharaja (Ruler) Man Singh was a devotee of goddess Kali and invoked her grace both in peace and during war. According to legend, this image was brought by Maharaja Man Singh from eastern part of Bengal in the last quarter of 16th century A.D. While in an encounter with the ruler Kedar (a ruler in the empire of King Pratapaditya), Maharaja Man Singh did not get success for the 1st time and so, he prayed for the success to goddess Kali.
The goddess gave him a vision in dream & took a promise from him for her salvation from the lot; she was then subjected to a slab (Shila). As a result of the promise given by the Maharaja, the goddess blessed him with victory in the forthcoming battle.
This stone image of Shila Devi was lying in the sea in the form of a slab (called Shila in Hindi) and was taken out and brought by the Maharaja Man Singh at Amber where it became popular by the name of “Shila Devi”.
According to one more legend, ruler Kedar of Bengal after his defeat had married his daughter to Maharaja Man Singh and presented this image of Shila Devi to him.
The temple belongs to Shakti cult. “Shakti” is worshiped as the Supreme Being in Shaktism. In Hinduism, there is a concept of the ultimate, non-manifested, omnipotent, beyond of all attributes God. Once God wished to become “Many” out of “One” and hence God appeared in the form of Shiva. Lord Shiva represents Purush Tatva, a cosmic masculine cause of the manifested universe. Shakti is divine cosmic feminine power called Prakriti- the counterpart of Purush and hence together the cause of the manifested universe. Because of this, Shakti also referred as “Mother of All”, “Mother of Universe”, and “The Great Divine Mother” in Hinduism.
Shakti means a sacred force; a primordial cosmic energy represents the dynamic forces that move through the entire universe. Shakti, the Mother of All, hence Supreme Being- a source of cosmic kinetic energy because of which this illusionary phenomenal world has motion.
Visitors can see beautiful stone carving work in the temple and fabulous silver work on the doors of the temple. Nine incarnations of Shakti (Goddess Durga) namely Shail Putri, Brahmcharini, Chandra Ghanta, Kooshmanda, Skand Mata, Katyayani, Kaal Ratri, Maha Gauri, and Siddhi Daatri; and Ten Mahavidyas (ten incarnations of Goddess Sati) namely Kali, Tara, Shodashi (Tripur Sundari), Bhuvneshwari, Bhairvi, Chinnmasta, Dhumawati, Baglamukhi, Maatangi, and Kamla are engraved on silver doors of the temple.
