Hinglaj Shakti Peeth

Hinglaj, Hingol National Park, Lasbela district, Balochistan

51 Shakti Peeths

About

The shrine of Hinglaj Mata is a cave on the bank of the Hingol river, among the dry Makran hills of Balochistan in Pakistan, close to the Arabian Sea and inside Hingol National Park. In the usual list of 51 Shakti Peeths it comes first, as the place where the crown of Devi Sati's head (brahmarandhra) is believed to have fallen. There is no carved idol: a small stone coloured with sindoor (hingul) is worshipped as the Mother. Many families in Rajasthan, Gujarat and Sindh honour her as their kuldevi, and local Muslims also respect the shrine, fondly calling it 'Nani Mandir'.

The story

The Shakti Peeth story tells that after the sorrowful events at King Daksha's yagya, Shiv ji wandered in grief carrying the body of Devi Sati. To calm him, Vishnu ji's Sudarshan chakra divided the body, and wherever a part fell, a Shakti Peeth arose. Here the Devi is honoured as Kottari, with Bhimlochan as her Bhairav.

A local story says that a demon named Hingol troubled the people. The Devi chased him into this very cave and ended his rule; before the end he asked that the place should carry his name, and she agreed. Another tradition says that after the war in Lanka, Shri Ram came here on pilgrimage. The Devi's guards stopped his army at the mouth of the valley, so he left his chariots and soldiers behind and walked to the cave as a simple pilgrim. Devotees see the sun and moon signs on the hill facing the cave as marks of his visit. The Sufi poet of Sindh, Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai, also came to Hinglaj and wrote verses about the jogis who travelled here.

Visiting

Most pilgrims come for the spring yatra, when camps and community kitchens are set up. The Makran Coastal Highway from Karachi has made the journey much easier. This is hot desert country: carry water, cover your head and dress simply. By custom, before darshan pilgrims offer coconuts at the Chandragup mud volcano and bathe in the Hingol river. Travelling from India needs a passport and a visa.

Festivals

Hinglaj Yatra, a four-day mela in spring, usually in April, around Chaitra Navratri

51 Shakti Peeths

Sources