Chausath Yogini Temple, Mitaoli (M.P)

Ekattarso Mahadeva Mandir Yogini is believed to be the origin of the centres of energy in the human body. According to Lalitasahasranama, Devi, the Prime Shakti is called Kulayogini and also named as the Deity worshipped by 64 prime Yogini herds, their being several crores. Thus Yogini is at the same time the Prime Goddess and also the subordinate godhead. This explains the concept that there are two aspects of Shakti, Samavayini and Parigraha Shakti. As Samavayini Shakti, She is Cit and so identical with Shiva Himself. As Parigraha Shakti, She is inert and evolving i.e. in Tantric parlance Bindu. Again Bindu as pure aspect of Cit is Mahamaya or Mahayogini i.e. Pure conduit of creation and as mixed or Asuddha maya or Yogini i.e. inherent cause of material world the impure conduit. Adi-Shakti is connected to 64 forms. Sixty-four has a unique significance in tantra; tan, to spread philosophy. Adi-Shakti is connected to 64 forms of art (Kala). The mastery of as many of the 64 traditional arts known as the Chausath Kalas or Chathusashti Kalas formed an important basis in the development of a cultured individual in many parts of ancient India. “The history surrounding the yoginis is scarce and can vary from source to source. Consensus is that the cult first appeared around the sixth to seventh century. The cult did not begin to thrive however, until the ninth century and stayed fairly popular through to the twelfth century.” (Probing the Mysteries of the Hirapur Yoginis by Gadon, Elinor) According to another legend, when an asura called Mahishasura continuously tortured the Gods, Goddesses and divine celestial, they prayed to Goddess Para Shakti to protect them from the tortures of the asura. Goddess Adi Para Shakti allayed their fears by creating Goddess Durga from her own body, which in turn created another eight demi divines called Ashta Matrikas from her body from each of whom emerged eight Yoginis thus totaling to the manifestation of 64 Yoginis. Those 64 Yoginis joined with the forces of Goddess Mahishasuramardini and annihilated asura brothers Kamban, Nisumba along with their entire asura forces. Major Sanskrit Textual Sources of Yoginis are Agni Purana, Markan Deya Purana, Kalika Purana, Bhagavata Purana, Matsya Purana, Garuda Purana, Skanda Purana, and Devi Bhagavata Purana. The medieval literature such as Somadevasuri’s Yasatilaka, Kalhana’s Rajatarangini and Somadeva’s Katha-saritsagara speaks of several legends about the Yoginis by viewing them as goddesses. “In support of Yogini worship, one of the Kashmir texts, namely ‘Rajatharangini’, meaning river of Kings, written by Kalhana and who was the first historian of Kashmir, describe the tantric practices which prevailed during the rule of some of the Kings. The text of Rajatharangini in 7826 verses, have been divided into eight books called Tarangas. Kalhana may have been a witness to various tantric or agamic cults and practices during the period of Kashmir rulers since he mentions several tantric masters, esoteric practices of the Yogini cult, the installation of Shaiva images etc. in the text of Rajatharangini. As per stories in Rajatharangini some of the Kings were involved in the tantric practices to gain more powers while some of the Kings had also lost their Kingdom due to the tantric Gurus who misguided them. One of the stories narrate the bloody offering of the chief of Damara (Damara is a landlord or wealthy cultivator possessing much land) who was slayed to appease Lord Bhairava and the mothers (Yoginis) in a temple, which were tantric deities.” Yoginis Santhipriya by Jayaraman In recent times, important information has been gathered from a 400 hundred year old text called ‘Sri Matottara Tantra’, which is available in the Nepal National Archives. The doctrines written in the text form in Sanskrit language is narrated in the form of dialogue between Lord Shiva and Goddess ‘Kubjika’ wherein the Lord clarified what the tantrism was, the secrets of 64 Yoginis, the relevant chakras attributed to them etc. ‘Sri Matottara Tantra’ is in the nature of a compendium of ritual circles called chakras in which significance of each ritual practices associated with each are given with diagrammatic presentation. The Chausath Yogini temple in the Bhind-Morena region is a temple of Lord Shiva. According to an inscription dated to 1323 Vikram Samvat, the temple was built by Maharaja Devapala in 8th century. Also known as the Ekattarso Mahadeva Mandir is located in the small quiet village of Mitaoli, 40 km north of Gwalior and 15 km east of Morena in Madhya Pradesh. The temple in the Chambal Valley is an ancient replica of the Parliament House. The circular shaped hypaethral structure runs about 125ft in diameter, with more than 100 stone pillars running along the outer wall as well as the central shrine. This temple has 64 chambers in its interior, each dedicated to a yogini or bharavi. Inside the circular wall are niches, most often 64, containing statues of female figures, the yoginis. Their bodies are described as beautiful, but their heads are often those of animals. They have Siddhis, extraordinary powers, including the power of flight; many yoginis have the form of birds or have a bird as their vahana or animal vehicle. These were the kind of features that identified a shrine to be a yogini’s place of worship. The structure that leads the eye to the sky holds another secret under its ground—a humongous water storage facility. The main shrine consists of a slab covering with perforations to drain excessive rainwater. A network of pipes runs around it, evidence of the engineering marvel. It takes a hundred steps to reach the Chausath Yogini temple. It is said that the temple was used to be a seat of education of astrology and mathematics with the use of the rays and shades of the Sun.