Shri Mata Mansa Devi shrine will be redeveloped and beautified on the lines of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple corridor. This shrine is located in Panchkula, Haryana. The Central Building Research Institute (CBRI), Roorkee, prepared the blueprint for this facelift.
The Chief Minister of Haryana, Manohar Lal Khattar, gave instructions during a meeting on June 3 and directed the officials involved and CBRI representatives to guarantee swift execution and implementation of this master plan so that development and beautification works could start as soon as possible.
According to the blueprint, the shrine would have a grand entrance in the form of a Shakti Dwar. From Shakti Dwar to the main temple, the ‘Shakti Corridor’ will be established. This corridor will be named as ‘Shakti Path’ and which will help devotees to reach the main temple. Additionally, a Shakti Chowk has also been planned.
As per the proposed design, a large Hanuman Vatika would also be constructed at the shrine site. The shrine’s main attraction will be the 108-ft giant south-facing statue of Hanuman ji in ‘Vardahast Mudra’.
The statue can be seen even from Shakti Dwar, which is roughly a kilometre away. Additionally, temples, the Narayan Seva Sthal, Nitya Park, Trikona Park, etc, will also be built as a part of the redevelopment.
The Mansa Devi shrine will go under renovation progressively in phases. As a part of the redevelopment, there are proposals to construct a bus stop, a separate shopping centre, multi-level parking nearby and even different walkways for vehicles and pedestrians to facilitate tourist management. Additionally, a venue for light and sound shows in the open air will also be constructed with a capacity to accommodate 500 people at a time.
This redevelopment plan was discussed in a meeting presided by the CM, which included Haryana Speaker Gian Chand Gupta, Urban Local Bodies Minister Kamal Gupta, and Panchkula Mayor Kulbushan Goyal. The meeting was also attended by Chief Principal Secretary DS Dhesi, Principal Secretary V Umashankar, Commissioner and Secretary of Urban Local Bodies Department Vikas Gupta, Chief Administrator of Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran, Panchkula, Ajit Balaji Joshi, Deputy Commissioner of Panchkula Priyanka Soni and officials and representatives of CBRI.
Importance of Mansa Devi Temple
Mata Mansa Devi is a Hindu temple dedicated to Mata Mansa Devi, a form of Shakti. It is one of the prominent Shaktipitha temples of North India. It was constructed during the early 19th century by Maharaja Gopal Singh. Currently, a Shrine board looks after the temple.
Every year two Navratra melas are organised in the month of Ashvin (Shardiya, Sharad or Winter Navratra) and another in the month of Chaitra, Spring Navratra, by the Shrine board.
According to the Shrine board, “The Mansa Devi Temple has maintained the sanctity of being an important shrine for worshipping Shakti (Mansa Devi), the divine feminine personification of the innate cosmic energy that is said to epitomise and rule the forces of the universe, in Hinduism and Shaktism”.
