Bhimakali Temple in Sarahan is 800 years old and it is regarded as one of the 51 sacred Shakti peethas. This temple is dedicated to Goddess Durga known locally as Bhimakali. This is one of the popular pilgrimage sites near Chandigarh. The present Bhimakali Temple is a new one, built-in 1927. The old temple nearby has a fascinating story to it. It got tilted slightly in the 1905 earthquake and then miraculously straightened back with a subsequent tremor. It is said that the foundations of this temple are very deep and that there is a disused tunnel that connects this to the village of Ranwin, a kilometer away. Priests would enter and leave the temple through this secret passage.
According to one legend, during Daksha Yagna, the Ear of Sati Devi fell here when Lord Vishnu cut the pieces of her body carried by heartbroken Lord Shiva. Other legend states that this area was under the rule of a Demon called Banasura, the great-grandson of king Prahlad an ardent devotee of Lord Vishnu. Due to the Usha-Anirudh affair, Lord Krishna fought here with him, and in this battle, Lord Siva stood against the former. The legend goes that the head of the defeated king Banasura was buried in front of the entry gate now marked as a raised platform to the first courtyard. After Banasura, Pradyumna son of Lord Krishna ruled this area. Then the ruling king constructed this temple recognizing Devi Bhimakali as the presiding deity of this area.
Gallery
Inscription on door to Bhimakali Temple - These gates were made in the reign of Raja Padam Singh 1927.
On one of the doors of the temple
Inner courtyard of Bhimakali Temple
Bird's eye view of Bhimakali temple during monsoon
India
