Information of Shila Devi Temple, Jaipur, Rajasthan

The Shila Devi Temple is considered to be quite a significant temple dedicated to goddess Durga and is specifically situated in the Amber fort in Jaipur. The presiding deity of the temple is goddess Durga and the temple was constructed by the famous Maharaja Man Singh who was known to be an ardent follower of the goddess. The temple is situated within the premises of the Amber Palace and the goddess is adored by several devotees who keep visiting the temple regularly.

Shila Devi Temple Religious Significance

The temple as stated above is known to be devoted to goddess Durga and hence, is dedicated to the Shakti cult. 'Shakti' is adored in the form of a Supreme Being with regard to Shaktism. The aspect of Hinduism relates to a notion which further refers to the non-apparent, definitive, invincible and far from the reach of any kind of elements. At a point of time God had expressed a wish of becoming "Many out of One" which made God appear as Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva is believed to symbolize Purush Tatva which actually relates to a cosmic masculine reason behind the apparent universe. Shakti is considered to be heavenly cosmic feminine supremacy known as Prakriti which is supposed to be the opposite of Purush or masculine form and therefore is known to be the combined reason behind the apparent universe. Owing to the stated reason, Shakti is also known as "Mother of All" or even "Mother of Universe" along with being "The Great Divine Mother" as per Hinduism.

Shila Devi Temple Mythology & History

It is believed according to the legends that the idol of the goddess was brought to the pink city from east Bengal by Maharaja Man Singh during the final quarter of the 16th century A.D. It is said that Maharaja Man Singh lost a battle for the first time which took place between him and Kedar who was a ruler in the kingdom of King Pratapaditya. After being defeated, Maharaja Man Singh offered his prayers to the goddess Durga in order to attain success. The goddess appeared in his dream and agreed on granting his wish of being successful in the next battle only in exchange of her salvation as the goddess then existed in the form of a slab or a Shila. Goddess Durga instructed Maharaja Man Singh to bring her statue which lay under a sea close to Jessore which is presently situated in Bangladesh and establish the statue in a temple. The king after winning the next battle kept his promise and recovered the statue of the goddess from under the sea which subsisted as a slab. The Maharaje brought the slab to the Amber Palace where it gained its present form as an idol after being washed and cleaned. This is the reason behind the goddess being referred to as Shila Devi or Shila Mata.

Shila Devi Temple Architectural Significance

The Shila Devi Temple was constructed in the year 1580 A.D. or rather during the 16th century. The work related to construction of the temple was initiated by Maharaja Man Singh which was later completed by Sawai Jai Singh-I. The construction of the temple has been done with a combination of red coloured sand stone along with white marbles. It has been learnt that it a period of ten years for the temple to get constructed. A representation of Lord Ganesh can be observed right at the entrance of the temple which has been carved out just from a sole coral piece.