Hinglaj Mata Mandir Shaktipeeth is located in the Hinglaj area on the Hingol River banks in the Balochistan area of Pakistan, which is 217 kilometers away from Karachi. Most of the journey has to be done through the desert, which is extremely difficult.
Hinglaj is the place where the head of the Goddess fell.
‘Hingula’ means vermilion. Bhagwati’s hair parting was adorned with kumkum (hinglu). Hence it is called Hinglaj/Hingula Shakti Peeth.
The temple here is a cave temple. Mata’s Deity form sits in a cave which is built on a high hill. There is a temple of Mata Hinglaj Devi in the mountain cave with no door. The orbiters of the temple enter through one of the caves and leave the other side. It is believed that Mata Hinglaj Devi comes here to bathe in the morning.
The main Hinglaj Yatra is a 45 km barefoot Journey from Chandra Goup Mud Volcano to the Main Cave Temple. Chandra Gup Mud Volcano is the volcano that is considered the door to the visit of the temple. It is because only the Chandra Gup can decide if a devotee can visit the main temple or not. A devotee can visit the temple if it accepts his wish and allows him to visit the temple.
The Chandra Gup Mud Volcano is active in the Makran desert area. The Hindu devotees worship the volcano as the Bhairav form of Lord Shiva. It is 300 feet high and has more than 450 steps to climb up. Devotees climb up the volcano to offer Prasad and to seek permission to visit the Hinglaj Cave Temple.
According to Hindu religious texts, Lord Parshuram’s father, Maharishi Jamadagri, had done austerities here. A place named Asaram named after him still exists here. It is said that great spiritual saints like Guru Gorakhnath, Guru Nanak Dev, Dada Makhan have come to worship the mother in this famous temple.
The Brahmakshatriya also known as Bhavsar Kshatriya or Bhavsar community and Charan community also known as Gadhvi venerate Hinglaj Mata as their family deity. They believe that when the god Parashurama was persecuting kshatriyas (the warrior caste), some Brahmins (priest caste) provided protection to 12 kshatriyas and disguised them as Brahmins, and they were protected by Hinglaj Mata. Another variation of the tale is that the sage Dadhichi provided protection to Ratnasena, a king ruling in Sind, in his ashram (hermitage). However, Parashurama killed him when he ventured out. His sons remained in the ashram. When Parashurama visited the ashram, they were disguised as Brahmins. One of them, Jayasena, returned to Sind to rule the kingdom, armed with a protective mantra of Hinglaj Mata, given by Dadhici. Hinglaj Mata protected Jayasena and ordered Parshurama to end his killing spree.[10]
Belief as Kuldevi
As per the popular folklore of Treta Yuga, a virtuous Haihaya king of Mahishmati of Malwa region, Sahasrabahu Arjuna or Sahasrarjun, more widely known as Kartavirya Arjuna drunk with power and sense of invincibility ends up killing the great Brahman sage Jamadagni over a sacred cow Kamadhenu. Furious at this heinous crime, son of Jamadagni, Lord Parashurama vows to vanquish the power-drunk Kshatriya clan from Earth. Wielding his divine axe, he eliminates Sahasrarjun and later on he rages on earth 21 times, each time decimating unvirtuous and unworthy kings wherever he went.
Terrified with the prospect of death at Lord Parashuram, the progeny of Sahasrarjun seek Janaka Maharaj, one of the most learned king of Videha who advises them to seek Hinglaji Mata’s blessing. The clan devotedly pray to Devi at Higloj who is overcome with compassion and assures shelter in her place. Over time, when Lord Parasuraman visits this place, he was pleasantly surprised to see Kshatriya clan involved in many Brahminical activities having shed their arms. Hinglaj Mata intervenes on their behalf, and since then the clan disowned arms. Lord Parasuraman not only taught them scriptures and Vedas, but also weaving for a living. The clan with a sense of relief then branches out and spread across Sindh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka. And where ever they went they continued worshiping Hinglaj Devi. Charan also known as Gadhvi, Khatris, Bhavasars, Barot (caste), and Shimpis of Somavaunsha Sahasrarjun Kshatriya trace their origin to this clan. Some of those who remained in Sindh province later on converted to Islam. Of note, even today they are one of the oldest non-Brahmin clans who had knowledge of Vedas. To this day many work as weavers and tailors.
The Hinglaj Mandir is at a distance of about 240 km from Karachi for air or road travel.
