Last Updated on January 10, 2025 by Swami Satyananda Saraswati
Travelogue: Shree Adya Katyayani Mandir in New Delhi
In New Delhi, we visited the Shree Adya Katyayani Shaktipeeth Mandir in Chattarpur.
Shree Maa and Swamiji love this temple and are known to frequent it on their trips to Delhi.
The temple was built in the 1970s, and covers close to 70 acres. It is a pilgrimage spot for devotees who constantly flock there to pay their respects to the Goddess.
Long ago, Shree Maa and Swamiji had met the temple’s founder, Sant Baba Nagpal.
He was a fascinating Sadhu, who sat in the location of the Mandir and told people that the Divine Mother had told him to build a temple there.
Upon entering the compound, we noticed there were separate mandirs for each of the deities like Maa Katyayani, Maa Mahishasurmardini, Ram-Sita, Radha-Krishna, Shiv-Parvati, Laxmiji, Ganeshji, Hanumanji.
In each of the mandirs, the architecture was awe-inspiring and the deities themselves were absolutely breath-taking!
We enjoyed going from mandir to mandir and paying our respects.
First, we worshiped the Shiva Lingam, chanting mantras while Shree Maa and Swamiji offered the various articles of worship: flowers, water, cloth etc.
Next, we visited the Shiva-Parvati Mandir, where it was remarkable that the divine murtis looked so real, as if they were physically watching and enjoying our worship.
Lord Hanuman, Lord Ram, Sita Devi, and Lakshman, were next, followed by the mandir dedicated to Radha and Krishna.
Shree Maa and Swamiji made offerings to each of them as we chanted their mantras.
Finally, we came to the temple of the Divine Mother in the form of Katyayani. Pictures can’t express just how alive and real the Divine Mother looked. She was fascinating and I could not take my eyes off of Her.
The murti of the Katyayani is made of ashtadhatu, which is a combination of eight metals: gold, silver, copper, zinc, lead, tin, iron and mercury.
She was a beautiful radiant gold color.
The priest opened the small gate to allow us to go closer to Her, so we could offer our worship.
Shree Maa offered a sari and flowers and then we all sat down in the center of the room to recite the Lalita Trishati.
Though the temple had a lot of visitors, Swamiji told the priest that we wanted to do special sadhana. As such, they tied a rope around where we were sitting to prevent the lines of visitors from disrupting us.
The constant flow of people often blocked our view of the diety, but every now and then, when the crowd lessened, we caught a glimpse of Her beautiful golden face.
When we finished chanting, Swamiji immediately stood up, grabbed the computer broadcaster and headed to the altar where the priest was sitting. Of course, Swamiji wanted to ask the priest a few questions for our online viewers.
Swamiji asked the priest about his Sadhana practices. The priest responded that he chanted the Chandi Path and also performed the Samasti Upasana (Cosmic Puja).
Swamiji then asked him how long his puja typically would take to complete. The priest happily responded that he could perform the puja in five minutes or in five hours, depending on the situation.
Swamiji jokingly asked him if there was any limited on how long one could do a puja, to which the priest smiled and responded that there was no limit!
Swamiji then presented him with a copy of his own translation of the Chandi Path!
Afterwards we took darshan of another beautiful murti, Goddess Mahishasura Mardini, the Slayer of the Great Ego.
Upon departing, Shree Maa offered a red cloth to a tree in the temple.
Jai Maa! Jai Swamiji!