Major Devi Temples
Prominent temples dedicated to various forms of the Divine Mother across India
| # | Temple | Location | State | Deity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mansa Devi Temple | Haridwar | Uttarakhand | Devi |
| 2 | Sharadamba Temple (Sringeri) | Sringeri | Karnataka | Saraswati |
| 3 | Nanda Devi Temple | Almora | Uttarakhand | Devi |
| 4 | Yellamma / Renuka Devi Temple | Saundatti | Karnataka | Devi |
| 5 | Kanyakumari Bhagavathy Amman Temple | Kanyakumari | Tamil Nadu | Devi |
| 6 | Sammakka Saralamma Temple (Medaram Jatara) | Medaram | Telangana | Devi |
| 7 | Katyayani Devi Temple, Vrindavan | Vrindavan | Uttar Pradesh | Devi |
| 8 | Maa Baglamukhi Temple, Nalkheda | Nalkheda | Madhya Pradesh | Devi |
| 9 | Thiruvairanikulam Bhagavathy Temple | Aluva (Alwaye) | Kerala | Devi |
| 10 | Jogulamba Temple, Alampur | Alampur | Telangana | Devi |
| 11 | Akilandeswari Temple | Thiruvanaikaval (Jambukeswaram) | Tamil Nadu | Devi |
| 12 | Attukal Bhagavathy Temple | Thiruvananthapuram | Kerala | Devi |
| 13 | Banashankari Amma Temple | Cholachagudda (near Badami) | Karnataka | Durga |
| 14 | Chamunda Mata Temple, Jodhpur | Jodhpur | Rajasthan | Durga |
| 15 | Chottanikkara Bhagavathy Temple | Chottanikkara | Kerala | Devi |
| 16 | Dakshineswar Kali Temple | Dakshineswar | West Bengal | Durga |
| 17 | Durga Temple, Aihole | Aihole | Karnataka | Durga |
| 18 | Edupayala Vana Durga Bhavani Temple | Edupayala | Telangana | Durga |
| 19 | Harsiddhi Mata Temple | Ujjain | Madhya Pradesh | Devi |
| 20 | Kodungallur Bhagavathy Temple | Kodungallur | Kerala | Durga |
| 21 | Maa Mundeshwari Temple | Ramgarh (Mundeshwari Hill) | Bihar | Durga |
| 22 | Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple, Madurai (Rajata Sabhai) | Madurai | Tamil Nadu | Shiva |
About Each Temple
Mansa Devi Temple
Mansa Devi is a Siddha Peeth — a seat of accomplished power — where the Goddess is believed to grant wishes (manokamna). As one of the panch tirthas of Haridwar, her darshan is considered essential for the complete merit of the Haridwar pilgrimage.
Sharadamba Temple (Sringeri)
Sringeri is the premier seat of Advaita Vedanta and one of the four cardinal Mathas established by Adi Shankaracharya. The living presence of Sharadamba as the goddess of knowledge makes this temple the supreme destination for seekers of vidya (learning) and jnana (wisdom).
Nanda Devi Temple
Nanda Devi is revered as the collective household goddess of the entire Kumaon-Garhwal region. The sacred mountain peak Nanda Devi (7,816 m) — the highest entirely within India — is her cosmic abode. Her worship bridges tribal, royal, and popular religious traditions of the Himalayas.
Yellamma / Renuka Devi Temple
Yellamma represents the universal mother whose power transcends caste and region. She is the kuldevi (clan goddess) of millions across north Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh. Her story of beheading and resurrection makes her a powerful symbol of the goddess's indestructible shakti.
Kanyakumari Bhagavathy Amman Temple
The eternal virginity of Kumari Amman is her power — she is the indestructible shakti at the meeting of the three seas. The southernmost point of the Indian subcontinent is regarded as an axis of immense spiritual potency. Vivekananda meditated here (on the rock now known as Vivekananda Rock) and received his vision for India's spiritual mission.
Sammakka Saralamma Temple (Medaram Jatara)
Sammakka Saralamma embody the tribal goddess tradition — pre-Vedic, non-Brahminic, deeply rooted in the land and forest. They are the most powerful expression of the tribal Shakta tradition in India and their jatara is an assertion of indigenous cultural and spiritual identity.
Katyayani Devi Temple, Vrindavan
Katyayani Peeth in Vrindavan uniquely bridges the Shakta and Vaishnava traditions. The Gopis' vrata is one of the most beloved episodes of the Bhagavata Purana. Worshipping Katyayani here is believed to bless devotees with an ideal life-partner and fulfillment in love and devotion.
Maa Baglamukhi Temple, Nalkheda
Baglamukhi is uniquely the goddess of Stambhana (paralysis of enemies), Vashikaran (control), and victory in adversarial situations. She is worshipped extensively by lawyers, politicians, and those seeking victory over opponents. Her worship is considered among the most potent of the Dasha Mahavidya sadhanas.
Thiruvairanikulam Bhagavathy Temple
Thiruvairanikulam Bhagavathy is the fierce, powerful guardian goddess of central Kerala. The temple is one of the prominent Tantric Bhagavathy kshetras in Ernakulam district. The goddess is believed to protect her devotees from evil forces, disease, and enemies — and to grant boons with immediate potency.
Jogulamba Temple, Alampur
Alampur is a site of triple sanctity — a Shakti Peetha, a Jyotirlinga-adjacent site (being a shivalinga-kshtra), and an extraordinary artistic heritage. The confluence of Tungabhadra and Krishna makes it a tirtharaja (king of tirthas) of the Deccan. Seeking Jogulamba's blessings here is considered equal to visiting all Shakti Peethas.
Akilandeswari Temple
Akilandeswari is considered one of the most powerful Shakti shrines in South India. Her name literally means 'She who rules over all (akilam = all worlds)'. The unique tradition that only women priests (or initiated male priests wearing a sari) can perform certain rituals in her inner sanctum underscores her supremacy. The Sri Chakra earrings placed by Shankaracharya are ritually removed and refitted daily.
Attukal Bhagavathy Temple
Attukal Amma is a deeply feminist religious figure — the deified righteous woman who destroyed an unjust kingdom. Her annual Pongala, where women cook ritual rice porridge on open-air hearths stretching for miles across Thiruvananthapuram, is a unique expression of women's collective devotion with no parallel in the world.
Banashankari Amma Temple
Banashankari is the kuldevi (clan Goddess) of hundreds of communities across North Karnataka and is especially powerful for married women who seek blessings for family welfare. The Banashankari Utsava (annual chariot festival) is one of the largest in Karnataka and draws devotees from across the state and from Goa and Maharashtra.
Chamunda Mata Temple, Jodhpur
As the kuldevi of the Rathores, Chamunda Mata holds a supreme place in Jodhpur's religious identity. Every Rathore Rajput family across Rajasthan, Gujarat, and the diaspora considers a visit to Chamunda Mata a sacred obligation, especially at times of births, marriages, and deaths.
Chottanikkara Bhagavathy Temple
The triple-form Goddess at Chottanikkara represents the unity of all Shaktis — Jnana (Saraswathi), Wealth (Lakshmi), and Power (Durga) — in one divine presence. The temple is especially known for its power to cure mental ailments and demonic possession. Devotees come here seeking healing from psychological distress, and the Guruthi Puja (evening ritual) is believed to exorcise negative influences.
Dakshineswar Kali Temple
Dakshineswar is as much a shrine of Ramakrishna's devotion as it is of Kali. The room where Ramakrishna lived for most of his life is preserved, and his presence is still palpably felt by devotees. This temple represents the living Shakta tradition of Bengal at its most powerful.
Durga Temple, Aihole
As the earliest surviving structural temple dedicated to Durga in South India, Aihole represents the genesis of Shakta temple architecture in the Deccan. The Mahishasuramardini panels here are among the finest in Indian sculpture, visually narrating the Devi Mahatmyam.
Edupayala Vana Durga Bhavani Temple
Edupayala Vana Durga Bhavani Temple is a 12th-century temple at the confluence of seven rivulets of the Manjeera River. Attracting about 30 lakh annual visitors, it is one of the most visited Devi temples in Telangana. The three-day jatara during Shivaratri is the second biggest in Telangana after M…
Harsiddhi Mata Temple
Harsiddhi is the tutelary deity of Vikramaditya and by extension of the city of Ujjain itself. Her blessings are sought for siddhi (accomplishment) in all endeavours — especially by scholars, artists, and rulers. The Kumbh Mela connection to Ujjain makes this temple an essential stop during the Simhastha Mahakumbh held every 12 years.
Kodungallur Bhagavathy Temple
Kodungallur Bhagavathy is one of the oldest and most powerful Devi shrines in Kerala, predating the Brahmanical temple tradition in the region. The Bharani festival (Kavi Bharani) is a fascinating survival of pre-Brahmanical Dravidian Goddess worship, where devotees sing deliberately transgressive folk songs to propitiate the Goddess in her fierce post-battle state.
Maa Mundeshwari Temple
If the 108 CE inscription is accepted as dedicatory (scholarly debate continues on its interpretation), Mundeshwari is the oldest continuously worshipped Hindu temple in existence — predating even the Gupta golden age of temple building. The living, unbroken ritual tradition here spanning nearly two millennia is itself a wonder.
Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple, Madurai (Rajata Sabhai)
Indra, the king of the Devas, was once afflicted by a curse that caused him great suffering. Wandering the earth in search of relief, he came upon a Shiva lingam in a forest of lotus flowers (Kadamba Vanam) near the Vaigai River. The moment he worshipped the lingam, his curse was lifted. Overwhelmed…