In the intense heat of summer, people look for relief wherever they can find it. Air conditioners, cold drinks and ice cream offer respite. Sometimes, comfort is found in words themselves. One such word is sheetal, which means cool in Hindi.
The word gives its name to Gurugram’s presiding deity, Sheetla Mata. Shrines dedicated to this goddess are found across Delhi region, but Gurugram is home to the most important of them. The temple of Sheetla Mata proves that long before Gurugram became a Millennium City corporate hub, it was a place of pilgrimage.
The present temple building is modern, the traditions associated with it stretch back centuries. Sheetla Mata is revered as a healer of smallpox and other feverish illnesses, including the simple bukhar. In summer, the goddess’s significance feels especially apt. Her very name evokes coolness at a time when relief from the sweltering heat is most sought after.
An account of the temple’s origins figures in many editions of the Gurgaon District Gazetteer. The legend stretches back to the age of the Mahabharata. A lady named Kirpai (aka Lalita), who would later come to be known as Mata Masani and Sheetla Mata, was the wife of Dronacharya, the guru from whom Gurgaon derives its name. She lived in nearby Keshopur village and was known for caring for sick children. Dronacharya lived in what is now Gurgaon. It is said that one time, when he could not visit her for several days, Kirpai died by self-immolation. A shrine was built in her honour in Keshopur. Centuries later, the goddess appeared in a Gurgaon landowner’s dream and expressed her wish to be moved to his village. He promptly built a shrine for her. The goddess’s fame spread, she became more widely known as a healer during the late Mughal period. Per the Gazetteers, one of Begum Samru’s children was cured of smallpox after a darshan with the goddess. Today, pilgrims visit the shrine throughout the year, especially in the hot months before the monsoon. The largest crowds come during Chaitra, the first month of the Hindu calendar.
Meanwhile, smaller shrines dedicated to Sheetla Mata have sprung up in many other places. One stands in Delhi’s historic Chirag Dilli village, beside a government dispensary (see photo). Passers-by often pause briefly, folding their hands in prayer before continuing on their way.
In Gurugram, a new landmark called Shri Sheetla Mata Devi Medical College and Hospital is being built in Sector 102. For centuries, devotees have turned to Sheetla Mata for healing. Once the hospital is completed and begins operating, the goddess’s name will also be linked to healing in a more modern, medical sense.
