Maa Saranipat Mandir, Bijayanagar

MAA SARANIPAT TEMPLE, BIJAYANAGARnnOLD AND VERY BEAUTIFUL TEMPLE IN BIJAYANAGAR.nThe deity maa saranipat referred as maa durga.nnIn Hinduism, Durga is a form of Devi, the supreme goddess, also identified with Parvati. As a mother goddess, she is frequently called Maa Durga and is sometimes referred to as the mother of Kartik, Ganesh, Lakshmi, and Saraswati (in some traditions she is also an incarnation of Saraswati or Lakshmi).nnDurga is depicted as a warrior woman riding a lion or a tiger with multiple hands carrying weapons and assuming mudras, or symbolic hand gestures. This form of the Goddess is the embodiment of feminine and creative energy (Shakti).nnShe is a central deity in Shaktism tradition of Hinduism, where she is equated with the concept of ultimate reality called Brahman. One of the most important texts of Shaktism is Devi Mahatmya, also known as Durgā Saptashatī or Chandi patha, which celebrates Durga as the goddess, declaring her as the supreme being and the creator of the universe. Estimated to have been composed between 400 and 600 CE, this text is considered by Shakta Hindus to be as important a scripture as the Bhagavad Gita. She has a significant following all over India, Bangladesh and Nepal, particularly in its eastern states such as West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand, Assam and Bihar. Durga is revered after spring and autumn harvests, specially during the festival of Navratri.