Today is Sheetala Ashtami Puja.

After the week of Holi, the date of Ashtami is celebrated as Sheetla Ashtami. According to this Ashtami, Basoda Puja is celebrated on Asthami of Krishna Paksha in Chaitra month (April-May). This special day is worshiped to Goddess Shitala Mata(One Avatar of Goddess Durga).

This festival is popularly celebrated in Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan.  They have the power to get rid of every disease. It is believed that worshiping Goddess Sheetla Mata, there is protection from all kinds of diseases such as measles, boil, chicken pox or eye disease etc. 

You will also find these descriptions in the Skanda Purana. On this day, people wake up in the early morning and take a bath with cold water, wear new saree and reach to worshiping the Goddess in Shitala Mata's temple. 

Devotees offer a cold meal, which is kept in the night before one night like puri, Jalebi, halwa, Curd, rabdi etc.

Many women come here to seek the blessings of the Goddess for their children.

Goddess Sheetla Mata

Story of Goddess Sheetla Mata

This is a Very old story. One day Goddess Sheetala Mata thinks who is worshipping me or respect me on earth. She thinks and reaches a place Rajasthan Dunguri village, She saw that people don't worship me and there is no temple.

She roams every corner of the village, at that time from a house someone throws the hot rice water. That hot water falls on Sheetla Mata and body burnt.

She runs everywhere for help but nobody comes to help her. At that time a potter women saw that old woman fully burnt and feeling sick. 

She calls and told to sit here, put the cold water on Goddess Sheetla Mata and told to eat the previous night dish rabdi and curd. The old women feel comfortable by eating these dishes.

She told to sit here and try to tie her hair but she shocked by seeing an eye on the back side. She frightened and run away, at that time the old women told don't be frightened I am not a ghost, I am Goddess Sheetla Mata. I come to land to know who worship me or not. Goddess Sheetla maa comes in her actual image.

The potter women thoughts I am very poor and there is no place to sit in my home. Goddess calls her and told what are you thinking, She cries and told there is no single chair to sit and every single person in this village is poor.

Goddess Shitala Devi rides on a donkey, and she has four arms. In her hands, she carries a silver broom, a fan, a small bowl, and a pot of water. She uses these items to rid a house of poor–she sweeps up the poor with her broom, uses the fan to collect them, and dumps them into the bowl. She then sprinkles water from the pot (which is water from the river Ganges) to purify the house. 

Shitala’s name means “the cooling one”. With the change of seasons and coming off the hot period, it is essential to emphasize the importance of hygiene for human health and the worship of Shitala Mata provides the motivation to keep the surroundings clean and hygienic.

She blessed her and told from now the main priest of this temple will be a potter. At that time the villagers made Goddess Sheetla Mata temple.