Nartiang Durga Temple

Nartiang Durga Temple in Megahalaya
Nartiang Durga Temple is a 500-year-old Durga Temple located in the West Jaintia Hills district of Meghalaya, a state in North-Eastern India. Being one of the 51 Shakti Peethas of Hindu Mythology, this temple is one of the holiest sites for devotees of the Shakti sect of Hinduism.
The Nartiang Devi temple is believed to be a Shakti Peetha, one of the most revered shrines of Shaktism because Shakti Peethas are holy abodes of Parashakti. The Shakti Peethas have originated from the mythology of Daksha yaga and Sati’s self immolation Shiva carried the corpse of Sati Devi and body parts of the corpse fell in the path he wandered. There are 51 Shakti Peeth linking to the 51 alphabets in Sanskrit. Each temple have shrines for Shakti and Kalabhairava. The “Shakti” of Nartiang Devi shrine is addressed as “Jayanti” and the “Bhairava” as “Kramadishwar”. It is believed that Sati Devi’s left thigh has fallen here.
Legend of Nartiang Durga Temple
Devi’s left thigh is believed to have fallen at Nartiang in the Jaintia Hills. Hence the Goddess here is known as ‘Jainteshwari’. The Jaintia king Jaso Manik (1606–1641) had married Lakshmi Narayana, the daughter of the Hindu Koch king Nara Narayana. It is believed that it was Lakshmi Narayana who had influenced the Jaintia Royalty to embrace Hinduism. King Dhan Manik had made Nartiang the summer capital of the Jaintia Kingdom about 600 years ago. One night, the goddess appeared to him in a dream and informed him of the significance of the place and asked him to build a temple in Her honour. Following this, the Jainteshwari temple in Nartiang was established. The strategic location of the temple and presence of weapons like cannons etc. suggests that the temple must have been part of a fort of the Jaintia Kings.