Nari Semari Devi Mandir is located in the Chhata tehsil area of Mathura, along the Delhi-Agra National Highway. The shrine is famous for Lathi Puja (stick puja) held on the last day of Chaitra Navratri festival. Nari Semri Temple Lathi puja 2026 date is March 27.
History of Lathi Puja at Nari Semri Temple
The stick puja is a tradition continuing for hundreds of years.
Nari-Semri Devi is considered an incarnation of Kangra Devi of Nagarkot,
located in Himachal Pradesh. This is an ancient temple with great religious
significance. Every year, a large fair is organized here during Chaitra
Navratri. On the ninth day (Navami), the last day of the fair, a special Lathi
Puja is performed in which the goddess is worshipped with sticks. This
tradition has been followed for hundreds of years.
Popular Story of Lathi Puja at Nari Semri Temple
There are many legends associated with the Lathi Puja at
Nari-Semri Devi Temple in Mathura. The most well-known story tells that about 750
years ago, a dispute broke out between two groups of the Thakur community—the Suryavanshi
and Chandravanshi—over who would worship the goddess first.
The goddess is believed to have told them that whichever
side wins a stick fight (lathi fight) would get to perform the worship first.
However, during the fighting, the time for the puja passed. Then the goddess
instructed both sides to worship her in this manner every year—and that is how
the tradition began and continues to this day.
Even today, both factions of the Kshatriya community arrive
at the temple on horseback, carrying sticks, and strike them at the temple
threshold as a part of the ritual. Devotees travel from far and wide to witness
this extraordinary puja.
Five Nearby Villages Participate in the Lathi Puja
The priests of the Nari-Semri Devi Temple also belong to the
Kshatriya community. On the final day of Chaitra Navratri, the Kshatriya men
arrive at the temple with bands playing, riding horses, and carrying sticks and
clubs in their hands. They strike the sticks at the temple's threshold as part
of the ritual.
Apart from Nari and Semri, Kshatriya men from the villages
of Sankhi, Alwai, and Raheda also participate in this puja.
The Temple Legend
According to local beliefs, a devotee of Nagarkot Devi from
Himachal Pradesh, named Dhandhu Bhagat, wanted to bring the goddess to his
hometown, Agra. Pleased with his devotion, the goddess agreed to go with him on
one condition: "I will walk behind you. If you turn around to look, I will
remain at the spot and won’t go any further."
Dhandhu Bhagat accepted the condition. However, when he
reached Nari village in Mathura, he noticed the sound of the goddess’s anklets
had stopped. Out of doubt, he turned around to check whether she was still
following him. The moment he looked back, the goddess stopped and became
permanently installed at that very spot.
Since then, she has been worshipped at this location.
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