Jayanti Devi Temple

Named after Jayanti, the goddess of victory. The Pandavas built a temple to Jayanti Devi around which came up the town of Jayantipuri.

The story of the temple of Mata Jayanti Devi is the story of such a precious gift. The story goes back about 550 years, when the Mughals were ruling the country. At that time, a small estate called Hathnaur was situated at the north of present-day Chandigarh. The king of the estate had 22 brothers. One of the brother was married to the daughter of the king of Kangra in Himachal Pradesh. The girl was a great devotee of Mata Jayanti Devi — the mother goddess of the clan — since her childhood. Every morning she first used to worship the goddess and only after that she would perform other activities.

When her marriage was fixed she was very anxious because it meant going far away from her deity and not being able to have darshan of the goddess. She prayed hard and conveyed her grief and remorse to the goddess. Mata Jayanti Devi was moved by the deep devotion of the girl. She appeared in her dreams and promised to accompany her wherever she went.

When the marriage party started back from Hathnaur with the bride’s doli, a miracle happened. Suddenly the doli turned very heavy. Neither the traditional kahars nor the king’s men could move it. At this, the bride told her father about her dream. The king, then, bowing to the desire of the divine arranged for another doli, kept the idol in it and sent the goddess with his daughter. The pujari and his family followed the goddess.

The king of Hathnaur, established a temple for the Devi on a hillock in his estate. First, the girl, and later succeeding generations of the family, worshipped the deity for 200 years.

At that time, a robber called Garibu or Garibdas extended his influence on this part of the region, including Mullanpur (now in Ropar). Gradually, Garibu captured the Hathnaur estate and started his reign. However, Garibu was a friend of the poor and a great devotee of Mata. He renovated the temple and extended the premises to the present state.

Presently, the temple is located 15 km from Chandigarh in Ropar district of Punjab, on a hillock in the Shivalik ranges. At the foothill lies the village Jayanti Majri that owes its existence and name to the temple, on the left bank of a seasonal stream Jayanti Rao.

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Wikipedia