Shree Bilai Mata Mandir Dhamtari, Chhattisgarh

About Bilai Mata Temple located in Dhamtari
Bilai Mata Temple
Bilai Mata Temple located in Dhamtari, also known as Vindhyavasini Temple, is a famous Hindu temple dedicated to Goddess Durga. It is an ancient temple that attracts devotees in large numbers during festivals like Navratri and Diwali. This temple is considered one of the five Shaktipeeths of the state. Carving on the walls of the temple reflects the architecture of the earlier times. According to the legend, the idol of mother Vindhyavasini has come out of the ground which is still rising.

Bilai Mata Temple in Dhamtari is a temple dedicated to Mata Vindhyavasini Devi, 2 km from the new bus stand in Dhamtari district of Chhattisgarh. It is called self-catering Vindhyavasini Mata. Local people believe that the idol located in the temple has come out by ripping the earth, which is still coming upstairs.

Only one ghee flame is lit in the Bilai Mata temple. During Navratri, two lights are lit in the sanctum sanctorum. The fame of the temple is also spread far and wide in the Vidyas, people of other countries also reach to burn the flame.

There is always a crowd of devotees in the court of Mother, but during Navratri, lakhs of devotees go to the temple to seek the blessings of the mother. It is believed that any wish made with true mind definitely fulfills the mother.

Story of sacrifice in Bilai Mata Temple
108 goats were sacrificed in Vindhyavasini temple years ago during Navratri. The sacrifice of goats was started from the reign of King Narhar Dev. Around the year 1938, this practice has been abolished, since then raw pumpkin is offered as a sacrifice.

Mythology related to Bilai Mata Temple
According to the stories prevalent among the local people, at present where there is a temple of Goddess, there used to be a fierce forest there in Adikal. Raja Mandalik went to this forest once with his soldiers. As soon as this place came, the horses were stunned. Due to this, the king had to return. The same incident happened on the second day. The horses stopped at the same place, then the king ordered the soldiers to see the forest and inside. When the soldiers searched in the forest, they saw that wild cats were sitting around a stone.

The king was informed about this. The king drove the cats and ordered to get the stone. The shiny and attractive stone was sunk even inside the ground. The stone did not come out even after much effort. During this time, the stream started coming out of that place. The excavation was stopped for the second day. The same night, Goddess Maa came in the king’s dream and said that do not remove the stone from the place and start reciting the puja which will be welfare for the people.

After this, the king built the platform at that place and established the goddess. Later, it was given the appearance of the temple. People believe that the stone did not come up in the temple. After the prestige, the idol of the goddess rose on its own.

Why is this temple called Bilai Mata Temple?
There is also an interesting story behind the Bilai Mata Temple being called Bilai Mata Temple, when the King’s soldiers saw this idol for the first time, then black cats were seen around it, besides the idol was also black, so people started calling it Bilimata which is still in vogue today.