Hinglaj Mata – Hindu Temple located in the remote, hilly area of Lyari Tehsil in Pakistan’s Balochistan province.

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October 5, 2016 by Vikas Acharya

ॐ हिंगुले परमहिंगुले अमृतरूपिणि तनुशक्तिमनः शिवे श्री हिंगुलाय नमः

Hingol Shakti Peeth is considered supreme because Sati’s head had fallen here. It is also considered to be the first of all shaktipeeths mentioned in Durga Saptshati and Markand puran. Various mythological stories are associated with this Shaktipeeth.

Hinglaj Mata, also known as Hinglaj Devi, Hingula Devi and Nani Mandir, is a Hindu temple in Hinglaj, a town on the Makran coast in the Lasbela district of Balochistan, Pakistan, and is the middle of the Hingol National Park. It is one of the Shakti Peethas of the goddess Sati. It is a form of Durga or Devi located in a mountain cavern on the banks of the Hingol River. The cave temple of Hinglaj Mata is situated 250 km (160 mi) northwest of Karachi, at the end of a range of Kirthar hills in the Makran desert stretch on the west bank of Hingol River. The shrine is located in a small natural cave with a low mud altar. There is no man-made image of the goddess, and a small shapeless stone is worshipped as Hinglaj Mata. The stone is smeared with sindoor (vermilion), which possibly gives the location its Sanskrit name Hingula – root of the present-day name Hinglaj. The chief legend of Hinglaj Mata, relates to the creation of the Shakti Peethas. The daughter of Prajapati Daksha, Sati was married to the god Shiva against his wishes. Daksha organized a great yajna, but did not invite Sati and Shiva. Uninvited, Sati reached the yajna-site, where Daksha ignored Sati and vilified Shiva. Unable to withstand this insult, Sati jumped into the sacrificial fire and committed suicide. Sati died, but her corpse did not burn. Shiva (as Virabhadra) slew Daksha for being responsible for Sati’s death and forgave him, resurrecting him. The wild, grief-stricken Shiva wandered the universe with Sati’s corpse. Finally, the god Vishnu dismembered the body of Sati into 52 parts, each of which became Shakti Peetha, temple to a form of the Goddess. Shiva is also worshipped at each Shakti Pitha in the form of Bhairava, the male counterpart or guardian of the presiding goddess of the Pitha. The head of Sati is believed to have fallen at Hinglaj.