There is a special tradition of worshiping Lord Kuber (Kuber Dev), Dhanvantari and Mata Lakshmi on the festival of Dhanteras, celebrated before Diwali. Dhanvantari Dev provides health, Mata Lakshmi provides happiness, prosperity and good fortune and Kuber Dev is said to be the god of wealth. By now you must have seen Kuber Dev in the form of Laughing Buddha in your home or in the gifts received from Goddess Lakshmi during Diwali. Today we will tell you about one of their temples which is very special.
Kuber Dev temples are rarely seen in the country. There is a special temple of Kuber Dev in Ujjain, the city of Baba Mahakal. This temple present in Shanti Bani Ashram, the place of education of Shri Krishna, was established by Lord Shri Krishna himself. The worship of Kuber Dev enshrined in this temple has special significance and every year on the occasion of Dhanteras, a huge crowd of devotees is seen here. Let us give you information about this temple.
Maharishi Sandipani’s ashram is built on Mangalnath temple road in Ujjain. This is the same place where Lord Shri Krishna received education from Guru Sandipani. Shri Krishna Balram Temple is present in this ashram complex, near which there is the temple of Kundeshwar Mahadev, who comes at number 40 out of 84 Mahadev. There is an ancient statue of Lord Kuber in the womb of this temple. The temple itself is special because the shape of Shri Yantra is carved on its roof.
According to the belief prevalent among the local people, while worshiping Lord Kuber enshrined here, itra is applied on his navel. The person who does this brings happiness and prosperity to his family. Due to this belief, people from all over the country come here and visit and pray for happiness, prosperity and good fortune.
Special aarti is also performed here twice on the occasion of Dhanteras. During this time, perfumes, dry fruits, sweets and fruits are offered to the Lord. According to religious beliefs, a person who has darshan of Kuber Dev gets wealth. Here the river is standing at the entrance of Kundeshwar Mahadev temple. There is often a sitting statue of Nandi ji in the temple of Lord Shiva, but this amazing statue remains the center of attraction among the people.
According to the ancient story to this temple, when Lord Shri Krishna completed his education from Sandipani Ashram, he started going to his residence Dwarka. Then Kuber came with money to give Guru Dakshina. On this, Guru Mata asked Shri Krishna for Guru Dakshina to protect her son from the demon Shankhasur and bring him back. Shri Krishna freed Guru’s son and handed him over to Guru Mata and went to Dwarka and Kuber remained sitting there. This is the reason why a sitting statue of Kuber Dev is present here.
The statue of Kuber ji in the temple is said to be 800 to 1100 years old. The craftsmen of Shangu Lal had created this statue from basalt stone. This 3.5 feet high statue has four hands, out of which two hold money, one holds Soma Patra and one hand is in blessing posture. Kuber Dev’s sharp nose, body ornaments and bulging belly make him attractive. This type of statue exists only at three places in the country. This statue is installed one in North, second in South and third in Ujjain in Central India.
