Sheetla Devi Temple
Sheetla Devi Temple
Sheetla Devi Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the mother goddess Shitala, located in Kara, a town located near Sirathu, on the banks of river Ganges in Kaushambi district of Uttar Pradesh. It is one of the 51 Shakti Peethas in Shaktism denomination of Hinduism.The deity of the temple is regarded as the Kuldevi of Purvanchal. It is also known as Kada Dham, Sheetlan and Sheetla Dham, Kada.
Sheetla Dham Kadapeeth has been the center of Shakti worshipers for hundreds of years.
According to Skanda Purana, when Lord Shiva’s wife Sati unable to tolerate the insult by her father Daksha, she jumped into the Yajna Kunda and gave up her life. Lord Shiva, enraged by her separation, started traveling in all the worlds with the dead body of Sati. Seeing Shiva angry, there was a stir in all three worlds. God, humans and all the creatures got scared. Then to avoid the wrath of Shiva, Lord Vishnu cut the dead body of Goddess Sati into 51 pieces with his Sudarshan Chakra. Wherever these pieces of Sati’s dead body fell, a Shaktipeeth was established there.
Kada Dham is the place where Sati’s hand or bangle (Kada) fell.
It is believed that in Dvapara Yuga, Pandu’s son Yudhishthira came to visit the temple during his exile. He built the temple of Shitla Devi on the shore of the Ganges and established the Mahakaleshwar Shivling. It is believed that evil forces can be warded off if Goddess Sheetla is worshiped on the Ashtami of Krishna Paksha in the month of Chaitra. This temple was built in 1000 AD.
The two-day Gardabh Mela (donkey fair) is organised annually on the temple premises. The fair facilitates the buying and selling of animals, especially donkeys, mules and horses. The donkeys are believed to be the mount of Sheetala Devi. Hence donkeys are fed delicacies and decorated before being displayed for sale. As per the belief, the worship of Sheetla Devi is considered incomplete until the devotees feed them with milk, grams, green grass and vegetables. It is believed that the donkey will fulfil their desires if satisfied with their services. As per the belief, marriages fixed at this fair are blessed.
