Beri Mandir, Jhajjar

Beri Mandir is so called because it is situated in Beri town in district Jhajjar. It houses the idol of goddess Bhimeshwari Devi. According to scriptures Lord Krishna asked Bhim to bring their kuldevi, or family goddess, to the battlefield of Kurukshetra to seek her blessings for victory.

Bhim, accordingly, visited mountain Kinglay, the abode of the goddess and requested her to accompany him to the battlefield. The goddess accepted his prayer with the proviso that he would carry her in his lap and not drop her on the way.

As the great warrior was bringing her he experienced a strong urge to ease himself. He, therefore, placed the goddess under a beri tree. When he came back, the goddess refused to accompany him any longer because he had broken his word. She, therefore, stayed put at the spot and sent him back.

When the battle of Mahabharat ended, Gandhari, the queen mother of Kauravs passed by the Beri tree and built a temple at the spot. This may probably be another reason why the temple is so named. An interesting feature of the temple is that married couples visit it to retie their nuptial knot in the presence of the goddess.