Sheetala Devi Temple is a popular place of worship located at Gurgaon village, a suburb of Gurgaon, in the state of Haryana. The temple is situated near a beautiful pond and is dedicated to Mata Sheetla Devi. Mata Sheetala Devi is also called as Bhagat Lalita Maa and Masani Maa. This temple is also referred to as one of the "Shakti Peeth" and drwas hordes of pilgrims throughout the year except during the month of Shravana(July-August). The idol of the deity is made of mixed metal and covered with gold. The idol is placed in a wooden casket on top of a small marble platform. Especially during the month of Chaitra that corresponds to March-April, tens of thousands of pilgrims throng to the temple. The crowd is so huge during this month that the place resembles like Kumbh-Mela. There is a heavy rush of pilgrims especially on Mondays of this month.
The presiding deity of the temple is believed to be the Goddess who protects children from small pox and gives them a healthy life. The name 'Sheetala' was derived from a disease named 'Smallpox'. The first 'Mundan' or 'Cutting of the hair' ceremony of children is a very famous event that takes place in this temple. Newly wedded couples come here in large numbers to seek the blessings of the Goddess. There is also a fair that is organised in the name of the deity of Sheetala Devi temple.
Sheetala Devi Temple Legend
There are several legend associated with the building of the temple. According to the first legend once there lived a poor carpenter at Farukh Nagar, who had a beautiful daughter. When she became of marriageable age attracted by her prodigious beauty the Mughal ruler sent a message to the carpenter, asking his daughters hand in marriage. However the carpenter was not willing to give his daughters hand in marriage to a person from a different religion. So he approached King Surajmal of Bharatpur.The king refused to interfere, saying the issue belonged to another kingdom. The disappointed carpenter then went to Prince Bharatpur, son of King Surajmal. The carpenter narrated his condition to the prince. The prince took up the matter with his father, but the king refused. But the prince revolted against his father and attacked Delhi. It is said that while proceeding towards Delhi, the Prince passed through Gurugaon and he prayed to the Devi and vowed that if he returns victorious he would build a proper temple. The prince was victorious and on returning from the battle he built the temple.
Another version of the same story says that when the prince Bharatpur proceeded towards Delhi, he and his army rested at Vallabhgadh. But the horses refused to move further from here. Everyone was surprised by this strange behaviour of the horses. But after consulting the court astrologer, Prince got the answer that after coming to Gurgaon he didn't worship the Mother Goddess Sheetala. This angered the goddess and so the horses were showing strange behaviour. Then the Prince quickly arranged for all the things to worship the Sheetala Devi and a proper pooja was offered. Then the horses moved ahead. After this entire incident, Prince decided to construct one temple for Sheetala Devi on the occasion of his victory.
The third legend also includes king Bharatpur. On a pilgrimage to Pushkar, queen of Ajmer and the queen of Bharatpur, Kishori had a verbal fight on who would first jump into the waters. This fight was carried forward by the Maharaja of Bharatpur and he attacked the Ajmer king, defeating the latter in the process. Rani Kishori was very happy and told the King, to build the temple of Devi Sheetal. So Chaudhary Jawahar and Maharaja Bharatpur mutually built the idol of the Devi Sheetala of around eight metals in the temple.
How to reach Sheetala Devi temple
The nearest airport to the temple is the New Delhi airport. The nearest railway station is the Ballabgarh and Old Faridabad railway station. One can hire a taxi or a take a bus to the temple from the airport or railway station. One can also reach Gurgaon from New Delhi or Faridabad by taking a Metro train.