Devi Temples of India
Twenty temple guides, arranged by region so you can plan a route rather than read a list. Each covers the goddess, the legend, darshan timings, how to reach and the best season to go.
Where to start. If you are planning a first pilgrimage, the densest clusters are Himachal Pradesh (four major shrines within a day's drive of each other) and West Bengal. If you want the single most significant Shakti site, that is Kamakhya in Assam.
On the word "Shakti Peetha". These are the places where, in the Sati legend, parts of her body fell. The number is disputed: different texts give 4, 18, 51, 52 or 108, and the lists do not fully agree on which sites belong. Several temples below are Shakti Peethas in most lists, some in only a few, and some are important Devi temples that are not Shakti Peethas at all. Rather than flatten that, each guide says where its own site stands. The full comparison is in the Shakti Peeth list.
Himachal, Jammu and Uttarakhand
The Himalayan foothills hold the tightest cluster of Devi shrines in the country.
Jwalamukhi (Jwala Ji)
Kangra, Himachal
The eternal flame that burns without fuel. A Shakti Peetha in most lists.
Brajeshwari Devi
Kangra, Himachal
Repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt. A Shakti Peetha in most lists.
Chintpurni
Una, Himachal
Mata Chhinnamastika, the goddess who removes worry.
Naina Devi
Bilaspur, Himachal
The eyes of Sati. Above the Govind Sagar reservoir.
Vaishno Devi
Katra, Jammu and Kashmir
The cave shrine and the 13 km climb. Among the most visited shrines in India.
Mansa Devi and Chandi Devi
Haridwar, Uttarakhand
The two hilltop goddesses above the Ganga, usually visited together.
Assam, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh
Kamakhya
Guwahati, Assam
The yoni peetha and the Ambubachi Mela. The most significant Shakti site in the tradition.
Kalighat and Dakshineswar
Kolkata, West Bengal
The two Kali temples of Kolkata, and why they are not the same thing.
Tarapith
Birbhum, West Bengal
The tantric shrine of Maa Tara, and the cremation ground beside it.
Vindhyavasini Devi
Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh
The goddess of the Vindhyas, centre of the Vindhya Kshetra circuit.
Gujarat and Maharashtra
Ambaji
Banaskantha, Gujarat
Where the heart of Sati fell. No image in the sanctum, only the Shri Yantra.
Mahalakshmi, Kolhapur
Kolhapur, Maharashtra
Ambabai, the Karavir Nivasini. One of the Ashtadasha Maha Shakti Peethas.
Tulja Bhavani
Tuljapur, Maharashtra
Kuldevi of the Marathas and of Shivaji. The temple that gave him his sword.
Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu
Bhramaramba, Srisailam
Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh
The bee goddess. A Shakti Peetha and a Jyotirlinga on one hill.
Kanaka Durga
Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh
On Indrakeeladri, above the Krishna river. Vast Dussehra crowds.
Chamundeshwari
Mysuru, Karnataka
The slayer of Mahishasura, on Chamundi Hills above the city.
Kollur Mookambika
Udupi, Karnataka
Goddess of wisdom and power, in the Western Ghats.
Sringeri Sharada Peetham
Chikkamagaluru, Karnataka
The first matha established by Adi Shankaracharya. A matha, not a Shakti Peetha.
Meenakshi Amman
Madurai, Tamil Nadu
The divine mother of Madurai, and one of the great temple cities of the south.
Kumari Amman
Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu
The virgin goddess at the southern tip of India, where three seas meet.
Pilgrimage Circuits and Navratri 2026
Route guides that join several temples into one trip, with the order, road distances and days to allow.
Himachal Devi Temple Circuit
Bilaspur, Una and Kangra
Naina Devi, Chintpurni, Jwalamukhi, Brajeshwari and Chamunda by road, usually in three days.
Sade Teen Shakti Peeth
Maharashtra
Kolhapur, Tuljapur, Mahur and the half peeth at Saptashrungi, in a six to seven day loop.
Karnataka Devi Temple Circuit
Mysuru to Mangaluru
Chamundeshwari, Horanadu, Sringeri, Kollur and Kateel over about five days.
Navratri 2026 at the Temples
11 to 20 October 2026
Dates, temple notices and crowd advice for Mysuru Dasara, Vijayawada, Vaishno Devi and more.
Practical routes
| Circuit | Temples | Base |
|---|---|---|
| Himachal four | Jwalamukhi, Brajeshwari, Chintpurni, Naina Devi | Kangra or Una. Doable in three days by road. |
| Kolkata and Birbhum | Kalighat, Dakshineswar, Tarapith | Kolkata. Tarapith is about 4 hours out. |
| Maharashtra pair | Kolhapur, Tuljapur | Pune or Solapur. |
| Coastal Karnataka | Kollur Mookambika, Sringeri | Mangaluru or Udupi. About 3 hours between them. |
| Deep south | Madurai, Kanyakumari | Madurai. Around 5 hours apart. |
Timings, dress codes and darshan queues change, sometimes at short notice and especially around festivals. Each guide gives what was accurate when written, but confirm with the temple trust before you travel. We link the official trust site wherever one exists.
Common questions
How many Shakti Peethas are there?
It depends which text you follow. The most cited list has 51; others give 52, and the Devi Bhagavata Purana counts 108. There are also the 4 Adi Shakti Peethas and the 18 Ashtadasha Maha Shakti Peethas as named subsets. The full comparison is here.
Is every famous Devi temple a Shakti Peetha?
No, and this is a common confusion. Vaishno Devi, Meenakshi Amman, Kollur Mookambika and Sringeri are all major Devi sites that do not appear in the standard list of 51. They are no less significant for that; they simply belong to different traditions.
Which is the best time of year to go?
Sharadiya Navratri and Durga Puja bring the largest crowds and the fullest ritual calendar, but also the longest queues. For a quieter darshan, the months either side. Dates are on the Devi Calendar.
Do I need to book anything in advance?
For Vaishno Devi you need to register for the yatra. Most others do not require booking, though several offer paid quick-darshan queues. Check the trust site.
Sound for the journey
Mantras and temple soundscapes at 432 Hz, on the Musinara channel.
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