Names & Legend
At the Panchasagar Shakti Peeth the Goddess is worshipped as Varahi, one of the Matrikas – the group of seven or eight mother goddesses of Hindu tradition. Varahi is the power (shakti) of Varaha, the boar incarnation of Lord Vishnu, and she is pictured with the head of a sow, radiating great strength.
While Lord Shiva carried the body of Sati in grief after her self-sacrifice at Daksha’s yagna, Lord Vishnu divided it with his Sudarshan Chakra. At Panchasagar, Sati’s lower teeth are believed to have fallen.
Location
The Shakti Peeth is traditionally placed near Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, the holiest city of India, and devotees from all over the world come to worship here. Another tradition links Panchasagar with the famous Maa Varahi temple of Devidhura in the Champawat district of Uttarakhand.
The Goddess & Bhairava
The Goddess is worshipped as Varahi, and Lord Shiva as Bhairava is called Maharudra, “the great fierce one”. Varahi is a protective goddess who destroys enemies and fear; in Tantric worship she is honoured as the commander of the army of the Divine Mother.
In Varanasi, the Varahi Devi temple near the Dashashwamedh–Man Mandir ghats has a most unusual form of darshan: the Goddess is in an underground chamber and devotees see her only through openings in the floor above. The temple opens for just a few hours early in the morning, as it is believed that the Goddess, as the guardian of the city, goes out to protect Kashi during the day.
Interesting Facts
It is remarkable that the Goddess Varahi is honoured in all three great traditions of Hinduism: in Shaivism (the worship of Lord Shiva), in Shaktism (the worship of the Goddess) and in Vaishnavism (devotion to Lord Vishnu). She is thus a bridge between the three paths.
At Devidhura in Uttarakhand, the Varahi temple is famous for the Bagwal festival on Raksha Bandhan, when groups of villagers perform a ritual exchange of stones (now often fruits) as an offering to the Goddess.
Festivals & Worship
Navaratri, especially the Ashadha Gupta Navaratri, is the most important time for the worship of Varahi. In Varanasi, devotees also visit the temple during Dev Deepawali and the month of Kartik, when the whole riverfront is lit with lamps.
How to Reach & When to Visit
Varanasi Junction and Banaras stations have trains from all over India, and Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport is about 25 km from the city centre. The Varahi temple is reached on foot through the narrow lanes near the ghats; plan to arrive at dawn for darshan. The best time to visit Varanasi is from October to March.