Himachal temple to have clarified butter goddess idol

Kangra (Himachal Pradesh), Jan 14: Preparations were underway on Monday for the installation a goddess idol made of 2,500 kg of clarified butter in a famous temple in this Himachal Pradesh town, officials said.

The idol of Goddess Brajeshwari Devi, being prepared by using 'desi ghee' after purification with holy water 101 times by temple priests, will be open for the public from Tuesday morning, temple official Neelam Rana told IANS.

One of the busiest shrines in north India, the Brajeshwari Devi temple sees a large number of pilgrims from Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.

Rana said the idol would be removed from the 'pindi' or iconography of the goddess on January 20 and its 'prasad' would be distributed among the devotees.

It is believed the idol butter cures chronic skin ailments and joint pain.

According to a legend, when the goddess was injured during a fight with demons, her wounds were treated with butter by gods on Makar Sankranti, a major harvest festival celebrated in various parts of the country.

Every year the preparations for installing the butter idol begin on Makar Sankranti, which is celebrated as a week-long festival at the temple.