Bhuvaneshwari Temple, a beautiful temple dedicated to Lord Bhuvaneshwari, an incarnation of Lord Parvati, is located on the top of Bhuvanagiri hill, having a height of 500 feet in the Tata Motors colony of Jamshedpur.
Lord Bhuvaneshwari is the fourth goddess among the ten Mahavidya goddesses in Hinduism. The word Bhuvaneśwari is a compound of the words Bhuvana Iśwari, meaning "Goddess of the worlds" or "Queen of the universe", where the worlds are the tri-bhuvana or three regions of bhūḥ (Earth), bhuvaḥ (atmosphere) and svaḥ (Heavens). The 10 Mahavidyas are Kali, Tara, Tripura Sundari, Bhuvaneshvari, Bhairavi, Chhinnamasta, Dhumavati, Bagalamukhi, Matangi, and Kamala.
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History of Bhuvaneshwari Temple, Jamshedpur
The temple was established by Swami Rangarajan, a renowned priest among the Tamil community in the year 1978. It is famous for its eye-catching Dravidian architecture which is more common in temples of South India. It has a 64 feet high, five-storied RajaGopuram which has five Kalash (Urn) at the top and a 36 feet high Garbhagriha.
A Gopuram or Gopura is a monumental entrance tower, usually ornate, at the entrance of a Hindu temple, in the Dravidian architecture in the states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, and Telangana.
Garbhagriha is the sanctum sanctorum, the innermost sanctum of a Hindu temple where resides the murti (idol or icon) of the primary deity of the temple. Literally, the word means "womb chamber", from the Sanskrit words Garbha for womb and Griha for the house.
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The architecture of Bhuvaneshwari Temple
Bhuvaneshwari Temple has Dravidian architecture as said earlier. The hall of the temple has eight pillars, each portraying a different avatar of Goddess Laxmi. The main temple has many small temples inside its building, having idols of Lord Ganesha, All the lords representing the Nava Grah (nine celestial bodies) i.e, Surya (Sun), Chandra (Moon), Mangal (Mars), Budha (Mercury), Brihaspati (Jupiter), Shukra (Venus), Shani (Saturn), Rahu (North Lunar Node) and Ketu (South Lunar Node) and many more.
The temple of Lord Krishna, standing adjacent to the building of the main temple was established in the year 1987 by the Keralieeya Adhyatmika Samithi. The Krishna temple also has many small temples inside its building such as temples of Lord Ganesha, Lord Hanuman, Lord Ayyappa and a Navagraha Temple. It has a prayer hall where everyday men and women gather to chant Narayaniyam which is very soothing to the ears. The temple organizes Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath, an avatar of Lord Krishna each year in the month of June-July.
Narayaniyam is a medieval Sanskrit text, comprising a summary study in the poetic form of the Bhagavata Purana. It was composed by Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri, (1560-1666 AD) one of the celebrated Sanskrit poets in Kerala.
The Bhagavata Purana is a major Hindu scripture consisting of about 18,000 verses, mainly devoted to the worship of Krishna.
-Wikipedia
Some of the other temples inside the complex are of Lord Shiva, and Lord Shani Maharaj. The temple distributes pure ghee laddus as Prasadam/Prasad in both the main temple i.e the Bhuvaneshwari Temple and the Krishna Temple which is very toothsome.
Bhuvaneshwari Temple Timings
The management of the temple runs a shop where one can find all the necessary items needed to offer prayers. The main days to offer prayers are Tuesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Vehicles are allowed up-to-the main gate of the temple and so there is no need to climb up the hill on foot. It is one of the highest points in the city and therefore the entire city is visible from here. Not to forget the shop sells authentic Banana and Tapioca chips also. The temple remains open from 7 am to 7 pm. Also, read about the story of Hathi Kheda Mandir in our post.
How to reach Bhuvaneshwari Temple
- Distance from TatanagarJn (Railway Station of Jamshedpur): 10.5 km via Jamshedpur - Keonjhar Hwy/Station Rd/Tata - Hata Main Rd (Cabs and Autos are available outside the station.)
- Distance from Ghatshila, Jharkhand: 38.5 km via NH18. ( Own Vehicle )
- Distance from Chakulia, Jharkhand: 71.1 km via Dhalbhumgarh Rd and NH18.
- Distance from Purulia, West Bengal: 86.0 km via Barabazar- Gorsai- Bamundiha- Chakaltor Rd and Barabhum- Banduan- Bandi- Dimna Lake- Tata - Jamshedpur- Deoghar Rd.
- Distance from Jhargram, West Bengal: 105.7 km via NH18.
- Distance from Ranchi, Jharkhand: 134.7 km via NH43.
- Distance from Bankura, West Bengal: 139.1 km via SH 2.
- Distance from Kharagpur, West Bengal: 143.4 km via NH18.
- Distance from Kolkata, West Bengal: 267.6 km via NH16 .