Himachal temple unveils 1,600 kg butter idol
An idol of Goddess Brajeshwari Devi made of 1,600 kilogram of clarified butter was unveiled at the Brajeshwari Devi temple in Himachal Pradesh on Sunday morning. The butter idol would be removed on January 20 and its 'prasad' would be distributed among the devotees. The idol is installed every year to mark the festival of Makar Sankranti.
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.Preparations started on Saturday morning for the installation of the idol of Goddess Brajeshwari Devi made of 1,600 kg of clarified butter, in the famous Brajeshwari Devi temple in Himachal Pradesh, officials said.The idol, being prepared by using 'desi ghee' after purification with holy water 101 times by temple priests, will be open for the public early Sunday morning, temple official Pawan Badyal told IANS.He said the butter idol would be removed from the 'pindi' or iconography of the goddess on January 20 and its 'prasada' or edible food would be distributed among the devotees.It is believed the idol butter cures chronic skin ailments and pain in the joints.