Delhi is one of the oldest living cities in the world! It was established as Indraprastha, the capital of the Pandavas of Mahabharata.
It has seen many emperors and their empires in its lifetime. Lived for many ages. All those eras are still alive in some form or the other in this metropolis.
Today the form of this metropolis has changed. Many giant structures built with red sandstone have now become its identity.
Ancient Temples of Delhi
Many temples have been built in Delhi since ancient times. Many of those ancient temples still exist and are alive but they have gone against the backdrop of this huge modern city.
Come join me, and let us all re-expose the heritage of some of the ancient vibrant temples of Delhi.
Devi Mandir of Delhi
Once upon a time, the name of Delhi was Yoginipur. As far as I am aware, there were several Yogini temples that were probably set up in the form of a yantra.
Is it possible that the Qutb complex, which was built after destroying 27 Hindu and Jain temples, was actually the center of Yogini temples? Maybe! Let me tell you about some of the oldest Devi temples in Delhi, which are still alive:
Yogmaya Temple of Mehrauli
This is the only temple in this region that has survived despite suffering innumerable tortures. It is situated on the backside of Qutub Minar.
It is a miniature temple in which the goddess is worshiped in the form of Pindi. It is believed that the goddess is seated here in the form of a girl.
This is the same girl who was born in Gokul as the child of Yashoda Mata. After an Akashvani, Vasudev put the little Krishna born in Mathura’s prison to sleep in his place and brought the newborn girl to Mathura with him.
After getting freed from the hands of Kansa, that girl was established in Vindhyachal as Goddess Vindhyavasini.
Read our edition on Delhi’s Yogmaya Temple and learn more about them.
Kalka Ji temple
Kalkaji Temple is one of the oldest Shakti temples in New Delhi. Due to this temple, the area around it and now the name of the new metro rail station has also been named Kalkaji.
The hill on which this temple is situated was called Suryakuta in ancient times. That is why the goddess is also called Suryakoot Niwasini. This fact is also described by the 12 gates of the temple.
The 12 gates of the temple represent the 12 Adityas and the 12 Rashis in which the Sun travels throughout the year.
Kalka Devi is also mentioned in the story of Durga Saptashati where Kalka Devi conquers the demons like Chand-Munda and Raktabeej.
Situated amidst the hustle and bustle of South Delhi, this temple takes us back to the past. There is a row of shops outside the temple as outside any other temple. These shops sell the items of offerings offered to the Goddess.
Although the temple is a bit small, the deity of the Goddess installed inside looks very beautiful. He mesmerizes us with his latent energy.
Nearby is a temple of Dudhiya Bhairav where milk is offered. I saw many small temples around the temple, but before describing them, I have to see them in peace.
I remember that I saw a small hut of a Baba living there near the temple. Visiting that cottage was a unique experience in itself.
The present temple located here was built by the Marathas in the 18th century. The ancient temple must have been situated at this place.
People believe that before the Mahabharata war, Krishna and Arjuna had darshan of the goddesses in the Yogmaya temple and this Kalkaji temple.
This is the same place where Maharani Sanyogita Chauhan, along with the women of the Chauhan dynasty, had committed self-immolation in the fire to protect herself from the attack of the invader Mohammad Ghori. In some historical contexts, it is also called ‘Remembrance of Sati’.
Jhandewala Devi Temple
Jhandewala Devi Temple is the temple of Adi Shakti. It was discovered by a devotee named Badri Bhagat. It is believed that the goddess herself had come to him in his dream and informed him about his deity.
There were no hands in the deity received. Therefore, silver hands have been added to that Deity. Even today that idol is worshiped in the main cave temple which is situated on the lower floor of the temple.
A replica of this Deity has been installed in the main temple. The main idol has the idols of Mahakali on one side and Mahasaraswati on the other.
That is, the main idol is the form of Mahalakshmi. The shikhara of the temple is in the shape of an urn. According to tradition, the Kalash represents the goddess. There are statues of Navadurga on the outer walls.
Nearby are the small temples of Mahalaxmi, Ganesh, Annapurna, Durga, Sheetla Mata, and Kamdhenu. Inside a temple located in the corner, the eternal flame of the goddess is lit.
In the back of the temple, a Shivalinga is installed in a huge hall situated on a slightly higher floor. This Shivling appears to be relatively modern.
A copy of the temple legend can be obtained from the temple office located at the entrance.
Kali Mandir – Bangla Sahib Marg
This is a small temple about which I came to know because I was living near it. Like other goddess temples of North India, this temple also has a small deity of the goddess with silver engraved panels around it.
I had reached in the morning to see the goddess. Fresh flowers were adorned on the deity of the goddess.
There is a cafe inside the temple where the goddess is worshiped in the form of Pindi. There is also a cave temple of Balaji and Mahalakshmi.
There is also a Shivling which is believed to be Swayambhu. There is also a Navagraha Mandala.
According to the information board of the temple, the temple is at least 500 years old. At that time there was a mound here on which sages used to worship.
This temple was kept at its original place even at the time of planning the construction of New Delhi.
Other Ancient Temples of Delhi
Bhairon Mandir
Located in the outer courtyard of Purana Qila, this Bhairon temple is believed to be of the Mahabharata period. It is believed that this idol was brought here by Pandu’s son Bhima.
According to legends, Bhima had attained siddhis here. Bhairav Temple is the only temple where devotees can offer liquor to him.
Many devotees come to offer the last liquor to the Deity, vowing to give up the addiction to alcohol. A large number of visitors come here on Sundays.
Kunti Mandir
This temple is also located within the Purana Qila complex. From the name, it appears that this temple belongs to Kunti, the mother of Pandavas. It is a very small temple that has withstood the ravages of time surprisingly successfully.
There was also a Sheetla Mata temple in the Purana Qila complex, but it has been dedicated to development work a few decades ago.
Katra Neel Pagoda
Katra Neel is an ancient settlement located in the Chandni Chowk area of Old Delhi. There are many ancient pagodas in this area, most of which are located inside the Havelis.
Some of the pagodas I visited are Dhumimal Pagoda, Ghanteswar Mahadev, etc. The presence of such a large number of small pagodas or ancient temples in a small area of Delhi probably indicates that there must have been a strong Hindu dominance in this area during the entire Islamic period of Delhi.
Gauri Shankar Temple
This temple is also visible from the Red Fort. The people of Delhi must have seen this temple from the Red Fort every year during the Independence Day celebrations.
The Shivling present inside this temple is believed to be more than 800 years old. According to legends, this linga was situated near an old peepal tree.
Maratha warrior Appa Gangadhar Rao had dreamed of building this temple. He promised that he would get a temple built here if he won the battle. He was victorious in the war and he also got this temple built.
Backhand Mahadev
This temple is situated in front of the ancient Delhi Railway Station. Its name indicates that it is a Shiva temple that was situated within the forest in ancient times.
I visited this temple many years back. At that time many monks were residing here. It is a temple complex with many small temples within it. Bells are hung outside the temple.
Devotees can also go ahead while praying by ringing bells from outside.
Chitragupta Temple
Delhi was once called the city of Kayasthas. The Kayasthas are said to be descendants of the bookkeepers who keep records of property and write books.
According to the beliefs of the Hindu religion, Kayasthas are the children of Dharmaraja Shri Chitragupta. Chitragupta does justice to human beings by accounting for their sins and virtues.
Therefore, it is not surprising that the deity Chitragupta, who keeps the books of accounts, is the adoration of the Kayasthas.
There is also a passage in the heart of Delhi named after Lord Chitragupta. At one end of the same road is the haveli-like temple of Lord Chitragupta.
It was only these days that I visited this temple, only then I come to know that this temple comes under the ownership of a family.
That priestly family has been serving this temple for six generations. I was also told that the 12 gotras of the Kayasthas are actually the 12 sons of Chitragupta and his two wives,
Iravati and Nandini. They are Kulshreshtha, Mathur, Gaur, Bhatnagar, Saxena, Ambastha, Nigam, Karna, Srivastava, Suryadhwaj, Valmiki, and Ashtanga (Astana).
This Chitragupta temple, located within a very large complex, is a bit small. There is a Shani temple at the back of the main temple within the complex. There are deities of many deities in the complex, in which one deity is also Hanuman Ji.
The priest told me that on the day of Bhai Dooj, the story of Chitragupta is told in the temple. Bhai Dooj is also known as Yama Dwitiya which comes two days after the Diwali festival.
This story is told only for one day in a whole year. I also saw devotees lighting the Kartik lamp in the evening under the plants located on the temple premises.
The story of Kayastha society erupts in the aarti recorded on the walls of the temple.
This temple is such a heritage of Delhi, about which not many people are aware.
