Danteshwari Mata Temple

Danteshwari Mata Temple

Danteshwari Temple is temple dedicated to Goddess Danteshwari, and is one of the 52 Shakti Peethas, shrines of Shakti, the divine feminine, spread across India.

Danteshwari Mata Temple is located at Dantewada near Jagdalpur in the state of Chattisgarh.The temple is believed to be around 600 years old and is at the confluence of the holy rivers Shankini and Dhankini, both the rivers have different colors.

The temple is as according legends, the spot where the Daanth or Tooth of Sati fell, during the episode when all the Shakti shrines were created in the Satya Yuga.

Dantewada is named after the Goddess Danteshwari, the presiding deity of the earlier Kakatiya rulers. Traditionally she is the Kuldevi (family goddess) of Bastar state.

Legend

It is believed that a tooth of Sati had fallen here and Danteshwari Shakti Peetha was established. According to the ancient legend, Goddess Sati committed self-immolation in the fire pit of yagna kund, due to an insult committed by her father Daksha towards her consort Lord Shiva during the Yagna. Raged by the death of Sati, Shiva destroyed the Yagna of Daksha and with the body of Sati in his hands started to do ‘Taandav’. Lord Vishnu cut the dead body of Goddess Sati with his Sudarshan Chakra to free Lord Shiva from the grief caused by her death. Parts of the dead body of Goddess Sati were scattered to fifty-two different places, which were consecrated as Shakti Pithas.

Every year during Dusshera thousands of tribals from surrounding villages and jungles gather here to pay homage to the goddess, when her idol was taken out of that ancient Danteshwari temple and then taken around the city in an elaborate procession, now a popular tourist attraction part of the ‘Bastar Dussehra’ festival.There’s also a tradition of lighting Jyoti Kalashas during Navaratris here.