Shaktipeeth: 'Mother Ambika' of the great country was blessed by worshipping the Pandavas of Mahabharata

 Thanks to Kashidasi's 'Mahabharat' and Chopra's classic Doordarshan series, every Bengali knows about the great country. Everyone knows that after twelve years of exile, the Pandavas lived here in disguise for one year under the shelter of King Virat. Yes, the king's name is Virat. And the great country was his capital. By stealing the wealth of this great king, the Kuruputras were severely beaten by the Pandavas. '

'Birat Desh' is so important in the dialectical drama of Mahabharata that the author of Mahabharata had to compose a separate episode about it and we know the name of that episode, 'Birat Parva'. This 'Birat Parva' is recited with special reverence in the Shraddhakarma of Hindus. The ritual ends with the reading and listening of this episode.

Since the 19th century, many people still observe the practice of donating the 'Gita' printed by Brahmins and donating the 'Birat Parva' of the Mahabharata. As a result, this 'Birat Parva' is still printed separately as a book for this reason.

However, it is not only that this great country is dear to Apamar according to the story of Mahabharata; This place is also very popular among Hindus as one of the Ekannapeeths. Local folklore establishes a close link between this Peeth and the story of the Mahabharata. According to legend, the elder Pandava Yudhishthira himself worshiped the Goddess who presided over this Peetha and received her grace.

We know that each Peetha of Ekannapeeth was built as a result of some body of Goddess Sati falling to the ground at various places after being beheaded by Lord Vishnu. Now the question is, which part of the goddess fell? In this context it is clearly stated in the 'Pithanirnaya' Tantra that—

‘বিরাট দেশ মধ্যে তু পাদাঙ্গুলি নিপাততম্

ভৈরবশ্চামৃতাক্ষশ্চ দেবী তত্রাম্বিকা স্মৃতা।’

Meaning of the verse: The toe of the goddess fell in the vast country. (But which toe, it is not mentioned in the verse. But the common belief, here the four toes of the left foot of the goddess fell). The goddess is worshiped here as 'Ambika'; Goddess Bhairava's name is 'Amritaksha'.

Now the question is, where is this great country located? In fact, the great country of Mahabharata, is now just a small township. It is a village. big village This village is located ninety kilometers from Jaipur in Rajasthan. The village is surrounded by green hills. There is a mountain in between. On the top of it is the Peetha and temple of the goddess. From the bottom of the hill there is a wide staircase leading to the pithsthan. The Pithmandir looks like a typical Rajasthani house.

There is no craftsmanship on the walls or on the temple. He has a very simple appearance. However, this temple has a personality of a mindless and renunciation vision. The walls are painted in pale ocher. On entering the door of the temple, the first thing you see is the spacious mandapam. Doors on three sides of the mandap. In the middle of the floor is a shrine. Adjacent to the mandapam is the main temple near the third door. The temple is not very spacious. But it is equal in height to the mandapa and has a nice plump dome on the head.

The goddess is positioned on a high altar in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. The idol of the goddess is about one and a half to two feet in height. The body of the goddess is made of white stone. A crown of jewels on the head, jewels in the voice. Garland of flowers. The two eyes of the goddess are bright. Made of silver. Yet it harbors tranquility and dread. A soft smile on his lips. The entire body of the goddess is covered in red zaridar patterned cloth. His hands, feet and location cannot be seen.

However, there are two large conch shells on either side of the foot of the goddess. To the right of the goddess is a rampant lion. He is standing looking away. On one side of the sanctum sanctorum there is an Akhanjyoti lamp lit in a metal cage. His flame has not yet been extinguished since the time of writing.

Outside the temple there is a wide fenced chatal. On this chatal there is a small temple of three feet height right on the boundary between the mandapam and the temple. This temple also looks very ordinary. In this temple there is a Shivalinga of a small foot height. It seems that the Shivlinga is very old. This is the Bhairava Amritaksha of Goddess Ambika. Devotees also call him as 'Amriteshwar'. Bhairav ​​is the protector or protector of the goddess.

It is worth noting that Amritaksha Mahadeva is positioned right between the shrine and the mandapam so that he can properly continue his role as the protector of Goddess Ambika.

Finally let me say that compared to other Satipeeths belonging to Ekannapeeth, this Peetha seems to be neglected. Few outside visitors come here to escape the allure of Rajasthan's glorious tourist spots. As a result, the devotees are less crowded at this place during daily puja. However, Navratri festivals of Ashwin and Chaitra months, Shivratri, Ramnavami, Makar-Sankranti etc. are celebrated here with great fanfare.

Then special pujas were organized and yajnasanas were celebrated in grand ceremonies. As the crowd of local devotees swells on this occasion, many outside devotees also attend the function. They appeared in the country-village Virat associated with the story of Mahabharata and bowed their heads at the feet of the goddess who bestowed grace on the eldest Pandava Yudhisthira. In this way, the tradition of Goddess-Grace goes forward on the path of future days, absorbed in the heart.