#MAA #SHARDA #MAIHER#District-Satna#Madhya-pradesh$India

Maihar is a city and municipality in Satna District in the indian state of Madhya pradesh. Maihar is known for the temple of the revered mother goddess Sharda situated on Trikuta hill. On Trikut Hills, even 1063 steps to the hilltop to visit sculpture of Sharda Devi and Lord Narsingh do not stop pilgrims to consider the endurance and take the climb. Another mode of reaching the temple is rope-way. Developed in 2009, it facilitates the pilgrims short with vacation or restricted by physical ailments.

Origin of the name

The legend that is supposed to be the reason for the existence of the temple starts with the Devi Sati and Lords Shiva who got married despite the objection of father of the Goddess - Daksha. Dejected by the marriage, Daksha planned a great Yagya to bring insult to Lord Shiva by not inviting Him. The act infuriated the Goddess who sacrificed herself in the holy fire. Upon getting the news of Her death, Lord Shiva brought His anger upon the world destroying anything and everything He met meanwhile carrying dead body of the Goddess on his back. To stop Him, Lord Vishnu cut the body into 52 pieces that fell at different parts of India where 52 Shakti Peethas (shrines) could now be found. Maihar is one of those 52 shrines where necklace (known as 'har' in Hindi) of the Goddess ('Mai'= mother) fell. Sharda is just another of Her many names.

According to the locals of Maihar, the warriors Alha and Udal, who had war with Prithvi Raj Chauhan, were very strong followers of Sharda Devi. It is said that they are the first ones to visit the goddess in this remote forest. They called the mother goddess by the name 'Sharda Mai', and henceforth she became popular as 'Mata Sharda Mai'. Alha worshiped for 12 years and got the amaratva with the blessings of Sharda Devi. 

History

Maihar's history can be traced to the Paleolithic Age. The town was formerly the capital of the princely state of Maihar. The state was established in 1778 by Rajputs of the Kachwaha clan, who were granted land by the ruler of the nearby state of Orchha. The state became a princely state of British India in the early 19th century, and was administered as part of Bundelkhand Agency in the Central India Agency. In 1871 the eastern states of Bundelkhand Agency, including Maihar, were separated to form the new agency of Bagelkhand in Central India. In 1933 Maihar, along with ten other states in western Bagelkhand, were transferred back to the Bundelkhand Agency. The state had an area of 407 square miles (1,050 km2), and a population of 63,702 in 1901. The state, which was watered by the Tamas River, consists mainly of alluvial soil covering sandstone, and is fertile except in the hilly district of the south. A large area was under forest, the produce of which provided a small export trade. The title of the ruler was maharaja. The state suffered severely from famine in 1896–1897. Maihar became a station on the East Indian Railway (now the West Central Railway) line between Satna and Jabalpur, 97 miles (156 km) north of Jabalpur. Extensive ruins of shrines and other buildings surround the town.
Culture

Maihar has a prominent place in Indian classical music as the birthplace of the Maihar Gharana, a gharana(school or style) of Hindustani music. The greatest doyen of Indian classical music, Ustad Allauddin Khan (died 1972) lived here for a long time and was the court musician of Maihar Maharaja's palace. His students popularized the style in the 20th century. The first Ustad Allauddin Khan music conference was held by Shri Deep Chand Jain in 1962.

Transport

 By Air:

Domestic Airport of Jabalpur (160 km) and Khajuraho (140 km) serve as the nearest points for flight landings. From here, the city is a small distance away, which could be covered either by train, bus or car.

By Train

Maihar Railway station that forms the part of West Central Railways is served by many cities in Madhya Pradesh along with some others from states like Uttar Pradesh and others. However, Jabalpur Railway Station serves as major railhead bustling with crowd especially during Navratras.TheMahakoshal Express provides a daily direct connection from Delhi's Hazrat Nizamuddin station. The Mahakoshal train (Train no. is 12189(Jbp to Delhi) and 12190(Delhi to Jbp))runs between Hazrat Nizamuddin station and Jabalpur station. During the Nav Ratra festivals there is a heavy rush of pilgims. Therefore, during these days all UP and DOWN trains stop at Maihar for the convenience of passengers.

By Road:

Maihar is placed quite well as far as connectivity is concerned. Most of the cities are connected to Maihar with bus like Kanpur, Lucknow, Bhopal, Indore, Mumbai, etc.

Places to visit at Maihar 
There are lots of places at Maihar city to visit. Some of them are-

Maa Sharda devi Temple :

Golamath Temple :

Golamath Temple

This temple is dedicated to lord Shiva. This east facing Pancharathi temple is built in Nagara style and has been built during Kalchuri period(10th 11th century A.D.) 

Badi Maai Temple

Bada Akhada Temple 

Oila Temple

 

Alha Temple

 

Purva Falls :

 Purwa falls are located in the Rewa district of the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The height of the falls is 70 meters above sea level. This fall is originated by the River Tamsa or Tons, as it is popularly known as. River Tons descends down the Rewa plateau to create Purwa Falls.

Alha pond

Behind the temple and downhill is Alha Pond. At a distance of 2 km from this pond is situated an 'akhara' (wrestling ring) where Alha and Udal used to practice kushti (wrestling). The people of Maihar believe that Alha is still alive and comes at 4 am in the morning to worship the Goddess Sharda.[citation needed]



मध्यप्रदेश के सतना जिले में मैहर की माता शारदा का प्रसिद्ध मंदिर है