1,400 kg butter idol of goddess in Himachal

Large numbers of devotees are thronging the Brajeshwari Devi temple here every day to pay obeisance and have glimpse of a 1,400 kg butter idol, temple official said Thursday.

The 14 quintal butter idol, made by 18 priests, will remain on the 'pindi' or iconography of the goddess till Jan 20, temple official Pawan Patial told IANS.

He said the butter idol was made by using 'ghee' donated by the devotees. The priests, with a unique technique, purified it with water 108 times.

According to legend, when the goddess was injured during a fight with demons, her wounds were treated with butter on Makar Sankranti by gods.

The butter, when removed from the 'pindi' Jan 20, will be distributed among the devotees. It's a belief that the butter treats chronic skin ailments and joint pains.

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