Popular Durga Mandir of Varanasi has origins of Love and War!

Durga Mandir, also known as Durga Kund Mandir, Durga Temple and Monkey Temple (because of the presence of many monkeys here), is one of the most famous temples in the holy city of Varanasi/Kashi. This temple has great religious importance in Hinduism and is dedicated to Goddess Durga Devi. Goddess Durga is identified as Adi Parashakti, a principal and popular form of the Hindu Goddess. She is a Goddess of war, the warrior form of Parvati Devi, whose mythology centres around combating evils and demonic forces that threaten peace, prosperity, and Dharma the power of good over evil. Durga Devi is also a fierce form of the protective mother goddess, who unleashes her divine wrath against the wicked for the liberation of the oppressed, and entails destruction to empower creation. Durga Devi is depicted as a Goddess riding a lion or tiger, with many arms each carrying a weapon, often defeating Mahishasura, a  Rakshasa / a buffalo demon.

It is believed that the idol of Goddess Durga at this Durga Mandir in Varanasi is ‘Swayambhu’, which is Self-manifested, meaning created on her own accord. The origins of this temple are mentioned in Adhyaya  23 - that is chapter 23 of the Devi-Bhagavata Purana.  As per the text, Kashi Naresh (King of Varanasi) called for a Swayamvaram for his daughter Sashikala’s marriage. The King later learnt that the Princess was in love with Vanvasi Prince Sudarshan. So Kashi Naresh got his daughter secretly married to the Prince. When the other Kings, who were invited for Swayamvar got to know about the marriage, they got angry and went to war with Kashi Naresh. Prince Sudarshan then offered prayers to Durga Devi, who came on a lion and fought the war for Kashi Naresh and Sudarshan. After their victory, Kashi Naresh pleaded to Durga Devi to protect Varanasi and then the Goddess manifested here at Varanasi and a temple was constructed for her with the belief that she shall protect Varanasi forever.

The present structure of the Durga Mandir was constructed in the 18th century by a Bengali Maharani/Queen. Next to the temple, is a Kund (pond) which was earlier connected to River Ganges. The temple is built in the North Indian Nagara style of architecture. The temple is painted red with ochre to match the colours of the central idol of Durga Devi. Inside the temple, lots of elaborately carved and engraved sculptures can be found. The temple is made up of many small Shikharas (towers) conjoined together.

It is a must-visit temple in Varanasi for the blessings of the powerful and benevolent Goddess Durga, who saved here, the love marriage of Princess Sashikala and Prince Sudarshan.