Mansa Devi is a Hindu goddess. One of the nine Shiwalik goddesses and the presiding deity of Manimajara, a small town in the Shiwalik Hills near Chandigarh.
This is one of the Shakti Pithas, a network of
Goddess-sanctuary places that stretches throughout the subcontinent, according
to local legend.
Each Shakti Pitha commemorates the location where a piece of
the goddess Sati's severed corpse fell to earth and took on the shape of a different
goddess; Mansa Devi was Sati's head.
The term "mansa" means "wish," and it is
said that Mansa Devi would fulfill any desire brought to her by a devotee
(bhakta).
In the holy city of Haridwar, there is another temple of
Mansa Devi on the hill above the bathing (snana) ghats; here, too, the
officiants promise that the presiding goddess would grant all one's requests.
The Manimajara's founding story Mansa Devi depicts her power
and compassion for her worshippers during the reign of the Moghul emperor
Akbar.
Akbar assigns a Rajput ruler to oversee the Manimajara
region.
The chieftain is unable to pay his taxes one year because
the crops have been damaged by harsh weather.
The chieftain is imprisoned, but one of Mansa Devi's
worshippers is moved by his predicament and asks her to intercede on his
behalf.
The chieftain is liberated and the taxes are canceled; when
he realizes how this occurred, he is so thankful that he builds a shrine in her
honor.
You may also want to read more about Hinduism here.
Be sure to check out my writings on religion here.
