Jayanti Shakti Peeth (Nartiang)

Nartiang Durga temple, West Jaintia Hills district, Meghalaya

51 Shakti Peeths

Traditions differ: Hindi and Bengali Wikipedia and Banglapedia place the Jayanti peeth at Baurbhag (Kalajore) village near Jaintiapur in Sylhet district, Bangladesh, where the Devi is worshipped as a stone in a shallow square pit. English Wikipedia, Bharatkosh and Art of Living name the Jaintia hills of Meghalaya. Devotees honour both places.

About

The Nartiang Durga temple stands in Nartiang village in the West Jaintia Hills district of Meghalaya. It is counted among the 51 Shakti Peeths, where the left thigh of Devi Sati is believed to have fallen. Here the Devi is worshipped as Jayanti, also called Jainteshwari, the Devi of the Jaintia hills, with Kramadishwar as her Bhairav. The temple is several centuries old and was once part of a fort of the Jaintia kings; a Shiv temple nearby still keeps old cannons. Worship here blends Hindu rites with old Khasi-Jaintia customs, and the local chief, the Syiem, is honoured as the temple's chief patron.

The story

According to the Shakti Peeth tradition, after King Daksha's yagya Shiv ji wandered in grief carrying the body of Devi Sati. Vishnu ji's Sudarshan chakra then divided the body, and wherever a part or an ornament fell, a Shakti Peeth arose. The left thigh is believed to have fallen in the Jaintia hills, which is why the Devi here is called Jayanti. At Nartiang history and legend go together. The Jaintia king Dhan Manik made Nartiang his summer capital. A later king, Jaso Manik, married Lakshmi Narayan, a daughter of the Koch king Nara Narayan, who was a great devotee of Maa Durga, and she is believed to have drawn the royal family to worship of the Devi. Legend says the Devi then appeared to Jaso Manik in a dream, told him how holy the place was and asked for a temple, and so the Jainteshwari temple was built. The priests here are believed to descend from the first priests who came from Jaintiapur. By Khasi custom the Devi is not shown as a figure, so during Durga Puja a banana plant decked with marigold flowers is worshipped as the Mother. After four days of festival it is carried in procession and immersed in the Myntdu river.

Visiting

October to April is the best time; the monsoon months are very wet. Nartiang is reached by road from Shillong or via Jowai, the district town. Durga Puja is the liveliest time. A Shiv temple with old cannons is within walking distance of the Devi's temple.

Festivals

Durga Puja (Ashwin), with the Mother worshipped as a banana plant and immersed in the Myntdu river

51 Shakti Peeths

Sources