Shiwalik hills · Una district, Himachal Pradesh, India
Where The Mother Gave Her Own Head, the mind lays down its burden.
Maa Chhinnamastika Shiwalik hills · 977 m Navaratra fairs · thrice yearly Laddoo, chunni & red flags Chintpurni Marg · 20 km
You climb out of the plains into the low Shiwalik hills, and at 977 metres the air turns noticeably cooler. In the bazaar, trays of laddoo and coils of red chunni crowd the lane, and a queue is already winding toward the gate. At its end waits no towering image at all, only a small round stone, the pindi, where you bow and what you carried grows lighter.
Of the Fifty-One pieces into which The Body Of Maa Sati was divided, the tradition kept here holds that Her Consciousness itself Fell upon this hill, placing Chintpurni among the most honoured Of the Peethas.
Maa Is Worshipped here as Chhinnamastika, The Goddess Who Cut Off Her Own Head so Her attendants Jaya and Vijaya could drink, an image of the mind dissolved into Pure Divine Consciousness.
Four Shiva temples, Kaleshwar, Narayhana, Muchkund and Shiva Bari, stand nearly equidistant in the four directions, read by tradition as Rudra Mahadev keeping watch Over Her abode.
The story the hill keeps
When Maa Sati Gave Up Her Body in the fire of Her father's insult, Shiva carried Her and wandered in a grief that would not end, his tandava shaking the worlds. To calm him, Vishnu divided The Body Of The Goddess into Fifty-One pieces, and wherever a piece touched earth a Shakti Peetha was born, one for each of the Fifty-One letters of Sanskrit. Upon this hill, the old accounts say, Fell Her Consciousness itself, the innermost part Of Maa.
At Chintpurni Maa Is Known as Chhinnamastika. The Markandeya Purana tells how Chandi, having routed the demons in battle, found Her yogini emanations Jaya and Vijaya still thirsting for blood, so She Cut Off Her Own Head To quench them, One stream Flowing To Her Own lips and one to each companion. For the seeker, the image Is a teaching: the head set apart from the body, the mind released from its habits and attachments into The Pure Consciousness Of The Mother.
What you'll actually see
1
The pindi in the garbha griha
At the centre of the temple Maa Wears no carved form: She Is a pindi, a round stone. Pilgrims queue for Darshan, make their prayers, and set down offerings of sweets, coconut, chunni and red flags Before Her.
2
Four Mahadevs on watch
To the east stands Kaleshwar Mahadev, to the west Narayhana Mahadev, to the north Muchkund Mahadev, and to the south Shiva Bari, all at nearly equal distance from the shrine. Puranic tradition reads the four as Shiva guarding The Abode Of Maa Chhinnamastika in every direction.
3
Twelve generations, and their registers
Tradition holds that Pandit Mai Das of the Patiala region founded this shrine in the village of Chhaproh about twelve generations ago, and his descendants remain the temple's official priests. The pandits here long kept genealogy registers of visiting families, records since microfilmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah.
Her shrine image, and Her hill town in the Shiwaliks · photos CC BY-SA, Wikimedia Commons
The night the Peethas gather
Navaratra at Chintpurni · Shrawan, Ashwin & Chaitra
Three times a year the Navaratra fairs fill the hill: Shrawan in July to August, Ashwin in September to October, Chaitra in March to April. Devotees hold that on the Ashtami of Shravan Navratri the nine jyot of the other Shakta Peethas themselves come To visit Maa here. Sankranti, Purnima and Ashtami draw their own crowds through the rest of the year.
Accommodation in town is very tight during the fairs. Come for the fervour, or choose an ordinary weekday for a quiet Darshan at Her pindi.
Plan your visit
By rail
Chintpurni Marg station is the nearest, about 20 km from the temple.
By road
3 km west of Bharwain, on the Mubarkpur to Dehra to Kangra to Dharamsala road.
Timings
Not listed in our sources; confirm current hours with the temple office before you travel.
Busiest days
Navaratra fairs in Shrawan (Jul to Aug), Ashwin (Sep to Oct) and Chaitra (Mar to Apr); Sankranti, Purnima and Ashtami also draw crowds.
Altitude
About 977 m up in the Shiwalik range, roughly 5 degrees cooler than the plains.
Offerings
Suji halwa, laddoo, barfi, coconut, chunni, a red dhwaja, flowers and ghee; bring from home or buy in the bazaar.
Good to know
Himachal Pradesh holds Five Of the Shakti Peethas: Chintpurni, Jwalamukhi, Bajreshwari Mata, Chamunda Devi and Naina Devi.
The back-yard of the temple opens onto a long view over Chintpurni's villages and the folded hills; give yourself a few minutes there after Darshan.
The monsoon is heavy here, with average rainfall near 2587 mm, and in 2012 the hill even saw snow after 52 years, enough to jam the roads; carry a layer and rain cover.
Questions pilgrims ask
Is there an idol of Maa to see?
No sculpted image. In the garbha griha Maa Chintpurni Is Present as a pindi, a round stone, before which pilgrims queue for Darshan and make their offerings.
What prasad and offerings should I bring?
Devotees bring sweets such as suji halwa, laddoo and barfi, along with coconut or fruit, chunni, a red dhwaja, flowers and ghee. You may carry prasad from home or buy it from the shops in the Chintpurni bazaar.
When is the temple most crowded?
During the Navaratra fairs of Shrawan, Ashwin and Chaitra, and on Sankranti, Purnima and Ashtami, when rooms in town fill fast. Devotees hold that on the Ashtami of Shravan Navratri the jyot of the other Shakta Peethas come To visit Maa here.
Walk the sacred map
This Is one Seat among many. Her Body Fell across the whole of the old world:
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