RANI SATI TEMPLE

It is one of the most original buildings in Shekhawati. It commemorates the sati (sacrifice of a widow on her husband's pyre) of a wealthy merchant's wife in 1590. To celebrate this mark of piety and marital fidelity, the merchant classes of the region built a shrine. Rani Sati (the Queen of Sacrifice) is invoked as an incarnation of Durga. Every year, a pilgrimage (in August or September) attracts tens of thousands of devotees. Its green and pink facade immediately evokes the kitsch dear to a certain Indian bourgeoisie... And, in fact, the temple contains many brightly colored statues as well as gleaming frescoes whose brilliance is supposed to mark devotion. After a series of courtyards lined with dharamshala (buildings intended to accommodate pilgrims), you will reach the sanctuary itself. The ceiling of the hall(mandapa) is covered with paintings of the widow's sacrifice. Durga (Shiva's energy or shakti ) is seen sending her power to sustain her in her ordeal.

Note: Rani Sati festival in August or September. It is celebrated in the temple of Rani Sati, in honor of the most famous widow of India. Pilgrims flock from all over Rajasthan, from Delhi and even from distant cities. Rani Sati, the widow of a prosperous merchant from Jhunjhunu, had sacrificed herself in the flames of her husband's pyre. Considered an incarnation of Goddess Durga, she is very popular among the marwari caste.