Yahoo Finance This Durga temple in the hills of Meghalaya is 500 years old
Renovated in 1987 by the Ramakrishna Mission, this is one of the 51 Shakti Peeths in India.
This is the Nartiang Durga temple. Located in Jaintia Hills of Meghalaya, the 500-year-old temple is a Shakti Peeth. A Shakti Peeth is a place where various parts of goddess Sati fell on earth. There are 51 Shakti Peeths in India but just three in north east India.
In the 17th century king Jasi Manik unified all the local tribes under one rule. Manik married a Hindu princess who was also a devotee of Shakti. She introduced Hinduism to the kingdom.
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It is believed that one night, Shakti appeared in the king’s dream and showed him a sacred spot in Nartiang and instructed him to build a temple there. Accordingly, the king built a temple here.
But there was a problem.
No Brahmin was willing to perform ritual sacrifices. So the king sought a Kshatriya priest from faraway Maharashtra. Kshatriyas priests performed sacrifices and were willing to relocate here. Today’s priest is the 29th generation of the original priest.
In 1987, the local chapter of the Ramakrishna Mission renovated this temple. Every year, the temple celebrates. Durga Puja with great pomp.
