Located on another
bank, farther away from the town, this temple was constructed on a very old site, but
appears to be new. Its priest, the latest from a family of priests spanning fourteen
generations, tells an interesting story:
The
Maharaja of Kota (in Rajasthan), lost a bag of money while on a pilgrimage to Gangotri.
Thus, unable to meet the required expenses, he returned to Uttarkashi where he prayed for
deliverance from his troubles at the Vishwanath.Temple, promising to marry off his only
daughter to any suitable boy from the village, should his bag be found.The bag was found
by the priest, inside the temple, and with all the money intact. The delighted Maharaja
then requested the priest to arrange a suitable match for his daughter. In due course, the
Rajkumari was married to a boy chosen by the priest of the Vishwanath Temple. But she was
very unhappy because marriage would take her away from her family deity Kuteti Devi, whom
she had always worshipped. So husband and wife together, prayed to the goddess to help
them. Kuteti Devi appeared in their dreams and informed them that she would be present in
their fields, in the shape of a stone. The Rajkumari and her husband, discovered 3 stones
with a heavenly aroma, and the Kuteti Devi Temple was erected on the exact spot where
these stones were found.
Uttarkashi
is the Headquarters of the district of the same name. It is situated at a distance of 199
kilometres from Dehradun on the route to Gangotri.
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