Maa Shitala Devi temple Agam Kuan, Patna, Bihar

Thursday, October 03, 2013

Agam Kuan is 105 feet deep, circular in plan, with a diameter extending over 20 feet and 2 inches. The well is brick-encased in the upper half of its depth (down to 44′) and thereafter, secured by a series of wooden rings. The surface structure, which now covers the well and forms its most distinctive feature, has eight arched windows.
Agam Kuan as the legendary well was built by Ashoka for torturing people, a practice reported by Chinese travellers (most probably Fa Hien) of the 5th and 7th centuries A.D.
Another popular legend states that this was the well where Ashoka threw ninety-nine of his elder brothers after killing them to obtain the throne of the Mauryan Empire.

The site is also connected with several Jain legends, the most famous of them being that of a Jain monk Sudarshana who, when thrown into the well by a king named Chand, floated to the surface and was found seated on a lotus.
The well’s is still considered auspicious and a site for many religious ceremonies, especially Hindu weddings.

Next to the Agam Kuan lies the Shitala Devi temple(शीतला देवी मन्दिर), dedicated to Shitala Devi(शीतला देवी), which houses the pindas of the ‘Saptamatrikas’ (the seven mother goddesses). The temple is widely revered for its potency in curing smallpox and chicken pox, as with all Shitala Devi temples, and is also visited by devotees for wish fulfillment.
The site also has several ancient and medieval sculptures.