Devi
Shri Dakshini Adi Sheetla Mata Mandir
- Sheetla Mata
- Varanasi
One of the two temples Shri Shriyantra Peetham Samiti is constituted to serve, named in the first clause of its registered by-laws.
Introduction
About the Temple
Shri Dakshini Adi Sheetla Mata is one of the two temples whose supervision, service, worship and festivals Shri Shriyantra Peetham Samiti was registered to conduct. The Samiti's first stated objective names it directly, together with Shri Chandreshwar Mahadev Mandir, which makes the care of this shrine part of the organisation's founding charge rather than one activity among many.
Sheetla Mata is worshipped across northern India as the goddess who presides over healing and protection from fever and pox. Shrines to her are found throughout Kashi, and several claim the prefix Adi — first, or original.
Chronicle
History & Origins
The documented record
The temple is named in clause 1 of the Samiti's by-laws, registered on 13 December 2007, as one of the two shrines the society is constituted to supervise and serve. Records of the shrine's own founding are not published by the Samiti, and no date is asserted here.
Significance
Spiritual Significance
For this Samiti the temple is not simply a place of worship but the substance of its first objective — the reason the society exists in law.
In devotional tradition
Devotees traditionally approach Sheetla Mata seeking health and protection within the household, and offer worship in fulfilment of family vows. This is devotional practice and traditional belief; nothing here should be read as a medical claim.
This records traditional devotional belief and the practice of devotees. It is presented as religious tradition, not as a statement of fact or a promise of any outcome.
In depth
Sheetla Mata in Devotional Tradition
Sheetla — "the cool one" — is among the most widely worshipped goddesses of northern India. She is pictured riding a donkey and carrying a broom, a winnowing fan and a pot of cool water; neem leaves are associated with her, and in many households and shrines they are part of her worship. The broom and the fan are tools of cleansing, and the cool water is the relief she is asked to bring.
Her principal observance across northern India is Sheetala Ashtami, also called Basoda, kept on the eighth day after Holi. No fire is lit in the household on that day: the food offered to the goddess and eaten by the family is cooked the day before and served cool — the observance takes its name, Basoda, from that stale or kept food. Many families keep the preceding Saptami as well.
What is described here is the wider tradition of Sheetla worship. For the worship and festivals as kept at this shrine, and their dates in a given year, please contact the Samiti.
Worship
Deity, Worship & Rituals
- Presiding deity
- Sheetla Mata
Worship & ritual
Daily worship and the seasonal festivals of the goddess are conducted by the Samiti. For the current schedule of any particular observance, contact the Samiti directly.
Visitor guide
Darshan & Visitor Information
Devotees are welcome. As at every Kashi temple, modest dress is customary, footwear is removed before entering, and photography inside the sanctum should not be assumed — ask first.
Getting there
Location & How to Reach
Finding the temple
- Locality
- Varanasi
- Address
- D-18/17, Varanasi
- City
- Varanasi
Gallery
Photographs
Visitors ask
Frequently Asked Questions
Practical answers for anyone planning darshan at Shri Dakshini Adi Sheetla Mata Mandir.
Ask the Samiti a questionTemples of Kashi Shri Dakshini Adi Sheetla Mata Mandir
Plan Your Visit
Planning a darshan at Shri Dakshini Adi Sheetla Mata Mandir, or hoping to arrange a puja in Kashi? The Samiti's team will gladly guide you on the visit and on the arrangements available.
Continue the yatra
