Kshemkari Mata Temple is an ancient temple dedicated to Mother Goddess Kshemkari, also known as Khimaj Mata. It is located atop a mountain on Bhinmal in Rajasthan.
Kshemkari Mata Story
At some point, there used to be a demon named Uttamouja in Bhinmal
region. He would spread terror during the night, looting and killing travelers,
as well as harming the local residents' livestock. He polluted the water by
throwing dead animals into the reservoirs, uprooted trees and plants, causing
fear among the people of the area. To seek liberation from this menace, the
inhabitants of the region sought assistance from the Brahmins and approached
the hermitage of Sage Gautama for help.
They pleaded with Sage Gautama to save them from the terror of the demon. Upon their request and prayers, Sage Gautama invoked the power of the Savitri mantra and lit a huge fire, and the goddess Kshemkari manifested from the fire. In response to Sage Gautama's prayers, the goddess, to deliver the people from the demon's terror, uprooted a mountain and placed it over the demon Uttamouja.
It is said that the demon had received a boon that he could
not be killed by any weapon. Therefore, the goddess pressed him under the
mountain, ensuring his confinement. However, the residents were not entirely
satisfied. They feared that the demon might emerge from under the mountain, so
they requested the goddess to sit on the mountain where the current temple of
the goddess is built, and beneath it lies the suppressed demon.
Kshemkari Mata Miracle Story
It is believed that the ruler of Kashmir, facing a severe
case of leprosy, sought a cure. During a pilgrimage, he arrived at Shrimal
Patan in Bhinmal. While resting in the garden of Naga Baba located south of
Shrimaal Patan, a dog, by chance, splashed mud from the garden's drainage onto
the king's feet. To everyone's surprise, wherever the mud fell on the king's
feet, the leprosy vanished.
Soon the king was bathed with the mud from the garden's
drainage, and miraculously, he was cured of leprosy, and his body turned
golden. At this time, the ruler Jag of Pratihar accepted the rule of Bhinmal.
Since then, Kshemankari Mata became the deity of the Pratihar rulers. The ruler
had a pond constructed and a vast and strong fort built in the city.