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Pindies in Mata Vaishnodevi
The Three Pindies in Mata Vaishnodevi are Mahakali, Mahalakshmi and Maha Sarswati.

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Pindies in Mata Vaishnodevi, JammuThe three pindies in the Maha Kali , Maha Lakshmi and Maha Saraswati .
Maha Kali
Towards the right of the devotee is the Holy Pindi of Mata Maha Kali (the Supreme Energy of Dissolution) in the colour associated with Her i.e. black. The Supreme Energy of dissolution is Mata Maha Kali. She represents the Tam Guna- the quality associated with the darker and unknown realms of life. Tam stands for darkness. A very small per cent of the Universe is conscious. The remaining is still subconscious or unconscious. These unknown realms contain all the mysteries of life. However the Energy that transcends the barriers of time is the Eternal Time or Maha Kali. Since man`s knowledge about life is very limited and he remains in the dark about most of it, it is represented by the colour black which is associated with Mata Maha Kali. She is the basic source of all that is mystical and unknown to man. In her attribute of Maha Kali, the Mother Goddess constantly guides her devotees to conquer the forces of darkness.

Maha Lakshmi
In the centre is the Holy Pindi of Mata Maha Lakshmi (the Supreme Energy of Maintenance) with a yellowish-red tinge, the colour associated with Mata Maha Lakshmi. Mata Maha Lakshmi is the Supreme Energy of Maintenance. She represents Rajas Guna- the quality of inspiration and effort, and is considered to be the basic source of wealth, prosperity, material gains, quality of life etc. Wealth and prosperity are better represented by the colour of gold, which is yellow, and hence associated with Mata Maha Lakshmi.

Maha Saraswati
The pindi to the extreme left is worshipped as Mata Maha Saraswati (the Supreme Energy of Creation). It looks more white than the rest. White is associated with Mata Saraswati - the Supreme force of Creation, she is considered the basic source of all creation, knowledge, wisdom, righteousness, art, spiritualism, piousness etc. Hence this pindi is associated with Mata Saraswati. She represents the Satva Guna- the quality of purity. Mata Vaishnodevi is considered to be an incarnation of the three Supreme Energies.

Pindies in Mata Vaishnodevi, Jammu Ornamentation
The ornamentation of the Holy Pindies was done gradually over a period of time since the discovery of the Holy Shrine. Various devotees offered jewelry, crowns, Chhatras, idols etc, for the ornamentation of the Holy Pindies. The same ornamentation continued all these years and everything was kept practically untouched. Various idols and statues donated by the Kings and placed in the Sanctum Sanctorum were also visible immediately behind the Pindies. This resulted in a cluttering of the Sanctum Sanctorum and many pilgrims complained that the decorations and ornamentations tended to overshadow the Holy Pindies themselves.

With the inception of the Shrine Board, it was decided to use a curtain behind the Holy Pindies and use fewer flowers for day-to-day ornamentation and decoration, in order to enable the pilgrims to have more visibility and better Darshans of the Holy Pindies. Then, in 2000-01, the entire ornamentation of the Holy Pindies was redone in 52 kgs of pure gold, besides diamonds and precious stones. The platform around the Holy Pindies and the patio type structure just outside the Holy Cave, popularly known as Atka were also renovated with white marble. The work was completed on 31st January 2001 and after Poojan and Havan, the items of the ornamentation were presented at the lotus feet of the Divine Mother.

While smaller ornaments can be put into the jewelry box placed on the platform in the Holy Cave, larger ornaments may be deposited with the Board`s Office at Katra or Holy Bhawan under proper receipt. The larger ornaments are then carefully stored in the Strong Room and used for ornamentation and decoration of the Pindies on a rotational basis.


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