It has been a long time since I posted. In 2023, i took up a W.Bengal Shakti Peeths trip. With Her and my guru’s blessings, i was able to complete one similar trip. My guru has gone to this circuit multiple times 15-20 years back.
I recently drove through the Devi temples of the Shivalik foothills and the Kangra valley: 9 Devi temples across 4 states in 6 days, including 5 Shakti Peeths from the classical lists. I decided to write down all the details to help some of my friends and others if they take up a trip. I took chatGPT help to add some kshetra details etc – but most of the contents are mine.
From food perspective, unlike WB, this region is more veg-friendly. I am allergic to garlic – almost all restaurants (big or small) customized the food for me.
Side note – I was surprised to see Chandigarh as a city – extremely clean, roads are amazing, city planning at its best. Very rich houses – i heard that it is a capital for 2 states and a union territory itself – must be having lots of budgets to maintain the city clean.
This first page is the summary. If you are planning the trip, read on for the day-by-day guide with each temple’s significance, timings and crowd tips.
Quick reference: the temples on this route
| Temple | Location | Status / body part (per tradition) |
| Devikoop Bhadrakali | Thanesar, Kurukshetra, HR | Shakti Peeth — right ankle |
| Shakumbhari Devi | Jasmor, near Behat, Saharanpur, UP | Siddhpeeth (Peeth by local belief) |
| Mata Mansa Devi | Bilaspur, Panchkula, HR | Peeth by local belief — forehead |
| Naina Devi | Bilaspur district, HP | Shakti Peeth — eyes |
| Chintpurni | Una district, HP | Shakti Peeth — feet (some say forehead) |
| Jwalamukhi | Kangra district, HP | Shakti Peeth — tongue |
| Baglamukhi | Bankhandi, Kangra district, HP | Mahavidya temple (not a Peeth) |
| Brajeshwari Devi | Kangra town, HP | Shakti Peeth — left breast (claimed) |
| Bhadrakali | Sheikhupur, Kapurthala, PB | Local Devi shrine |
| Devi Talab | Jalandhar city, PB | Shakti Peeth — breast (Tripuramalini) |
The trip at a glance
| Day | Route | Night halt |
| 1 | Delhi → Bhadrakali, Kurukshetra → Shakumbhari Devi | Saharanpur (Sarovar Portico) |
| 2 | Mansa Devi, Panchkula → Anandpur Sahib | Anandpur Sahib (New Mountain View) |
| 3 | Naina Devi → Chintpurni → Jwalamukhi → Baglamukhi → Brajeshwari Devi, Kangra | Dharamshala (Hyatt Regency) |
| 4–5 | Rest days; HPCA Cricket Stadium | Dharamshala (Hyatt Regency) |
| 6 | Baglamukhi (second try) → Bhadrakali, Kapurthala | Amritsar (Radisson Blu Airport) |
Highlights
- Jwalamukhi: no idol, just flames burning constantly from the rock.
- Naina Devi at dawn: a beautiful drive up to the hilltop before the crowds arrive.
- Near-empty darshans at Shakumbhari Devi and at Kangra’s Brajeshwari Devi, even on a Sunday evening.
- Anandpur Sahib: birthplace of the Khalsa, and a moving detour between the Devi temples.
- Two slow days in Dharamshala with the Dhauladhar range at sunset at Naddi.
Top tips in a minute
- Go on weekday mornings. Baglamukhi meant a 2+ hour wait on Sunday afternoon and no wait at all on Tuesday morning.
- Special-darshan tickets save hours: ₹500 at Chintpurni (plus a lift), and reportedly an NRI counter at Naina Devi.
- Pick smart bases: Saharanpur, then Anandpur Sahib, then Kangra or Jwalamukhi. Avoid driving hill roads after dark.
The detailed guide
First, what is a Shakti Peeth?
The story comes from the Puranas. Sati, Shiva’s consort, gave up her life in the fire of her father Daksha’s yagna after he insulted Shiva. Grief-stricken, Shiva carried her body across the universe in his tandava. To calm him and save creation, Vishnu cut her body into pieces with the Sudarshana Chakra. Every place where a part of her body (or her ornaments) fell became a Shakti Peeth, a seat of the Goddess. Each Peeth has its own form of Devi, guarded by a form of Shiva called the Bhairava.
The lists differ from text to text. You will see 51, 52 or even 108 Peeths quoted, and some temples are claimed by more than one tradition. Below I mention where a temple is in the classical lists and where it is a Peeth by local tradition, so you know what you are visiting. According to my guru, Kapurtala is also a Shakti Peeth.
Day 1: Kurukshetra and Shakumbhari Devi
We left Janakpuri, Delhi at 8 AM and reached Kurukshetra around 11:30 AM.
Shri Devikoop Bhadrakali Shakti Peeth, Kurukshetra (Haryana)
Significance: This is Haryana’s only Shakti Peeth, also called the Savitri Peeth. Tradition says Sati’s right ankle fell into a well (koop) here, which is why it is known as Devikoop. Inside, a large white marble lotus marks the spot. The Bhairava here is Sthanu, after whom Thanesar (Sthaneshwar) is named. It is believed that the Pandavas prayed here before the Mahabharata war and offered horses after their victory. Devotees still offer small clay and silver horses, which is the first thing you notice inside. Locals also say Krishna and Balarama had their mundan (first tonsure) here, so you will see families doing the same for their children.
Our visit: Peaceful darshan of Maa Bhadrakali; we spent about an hour. The temple is on Jhansa Road in Thanesar, about 3 km from Kurukshetra Junction.
Siddhpeeth Shri Shakumbhari Devi, near Behat (Saharanpur district, Uttar Pradesh)
Significance: Shakumbhari (Shakambhari) is the Goddess of nourishment. The Devi Mahatmyam and Devi Bhagavatam tell how, during a hundred-year drought, the Goddess appeared with countless eyes (as Shatakshi), wept for the suffering world, and fed it with vegetables and greens (shaka) that grew from her own body. The sanctum is unusual because it has four Devis together: Shakumbhari in the centre, Bhima and Bhramari on her right, and Shatakshi on her left, with Bal Ganesha among them. It is not in most classical lists of 51 Peeths, but it is widely revered as a Siddhpeeth, and many families in western UP worship her as their kuladevi. Those who are familiar with Devi Saptashati would know these devatas. By tradition, pilgrims first stop at Baba Bhuradev’s temple, about 1 km before the main shrine.
Our visit: We reached at 5:30 PM. The temple sits in a Shivalik valley right next to a seasonal riverbed, about 40 km north of Saharanpur city, and it is a fairly long walk from the parking area. There was no crowd at all and we had a quick, peaceful darshan.
Tip: I was told the Navratri mela here carries on for roughly two weeks after Navratri ends, so going right after Navratri is not a good idea if you want to avoid crowds. I just got lucky. Shakambhari Navratri (Paush month, around December/January) and Shakambhari Purnima also draw very large crowds.
Stay: We stayed at Sarovar Portico, Saharanpur. A little pricey, but very comfortable, with good food.
Tip: The road from the temple back to Saharanpur via Behat is narrow and jams easily. We were stuck at a complete standstill for over an hour. Leave the temple well before dusk, or check live traffic first.
Day 2: Mansa Devi and Anandpur Sahib
Shri Mata Mansa Devi Mandir, Panchkula (Haryana)
We left Saharanpur around 9 AM and reached at 1 PM.
Significance: The temple stands in the Shivalik foothills at Bilaspur village near Mani Majra, just outside Chandigarh. Local tradition says Sati’s forehead fell here. The story goes that a cow used to pour milk over three stone pindis on the hill each day, and the people who noticed it began worshipping there. The present main temple was built in the early 19th century by Maharaja Gopal Singh of Mani Majra. Mansa Devi is the one who fulfils the wishes of the mind (mansa), and the whole Panchkula belt has long been a centre of Shakti worship, with Chandi Mandir (after which Chandigarh is named) close by. Today the shrine is run by the Shri Mata Mansa Devi Shrine Board.
Our visit: About 30–45 minutes, with a beautiful darshan.
Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib, Anandpur Sahib (Rupnagar district, Punjab)
Significance: Anandpur Sahib was founded in 1665 by Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Sikh Guru. In 1699, on Baisakhi, Guru Gobind Singh created the Khalsa here, which makes Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib one of the five Takhts (the highest seats of authority) in Sikhism. It is a deeply moving place and well worth the detour, especially if you have never seen a Takht.
Stay: We stayed at New Mountain View Hotel. It is a small hotel, but the rooms were comfortable, the restaurant was good, and they were very flexible with our needs.
Tip: Stay the night in Anandpur Sahib. Naina Devi is only about 45 minutes away, so you can reach it at dawn. The road on to Himachal goes the other way, so Anandpur works as a base for both.
Day 3: The big temple day in Himachal (a Sunday)
Shri Naina Devi Ji, Bilaspur district (Himachal Pradesh)
Significance: This is a Shakti Peeth where Sati’s eyes (nayana) are said to have fallen, which is how the Goddess gets her name. The temple sits on a hilltop above the Govind Sagar lake on the Bhakra reservoir, with sweeping views of the plains and the Sutlej. The main deity is in pindi form, with two silver eyes. A popular local legend also links the hill to the Goddess killing the demon Mahishasura, and Guru Gobind Singh is said to have worshipped here during his years at Anandpur.
Our visit: This temple gets very busy after 9 AM every day, and even worse at weekends, so we started driving at about 7. The early-morning drive was beautiful. We had a blissful darshan of Maa Naina Devi.
Tip: Most websites talk about the ropeway (cable car) from the base, but when we went early they let our car drive all the way to the top. That may not be allowed later in the day, so check before you set out. I was also told there is a counter where NRIs can pay ₹1,000 for a special ticket that skips the queue.
Mata Chintpurni (Chhinnamastika) Shakti Peeth, Una district (Himachal Pradesh)
We left Naina Devi at about 8 and reached Chintpurni around 11:30.
Significance: The Goddess here is Chhinnamastika (Chhinnamasta), one of the ten Mahavidyas, who is pictured holding her own severed head. She stands for supreme self-sacrifice and for going beyond the ego. As Chintpurni, “the one who ends worries (chinta)”, she is believed to send no devotee away empty-handed. Traditions differ on which part of Sati fell here: most temple accounts say her feet, and some say her forehead. Tradition also holds that the shrine is guarded by four Shiva temples, one in each direction.
Our visit: There was a big crowd because it was a Sunday. The government offers a special-darshan ticket for ₹500 per person; the ticket plus the lift that bypasses the queue comes to another ₹500 (prices as of our visit). Once we were at the top, darshan took 15–30 minutes.
Jwalamukhi (Jwala Ji) Shakti Peeth, Kangra district (Himachal Pradesh)
This is about a 1.5–2 hour drive from Chintpurni on hill roads. We reached at 2:30 PM and there was a big crowd.
Significance: This is one of the most remarkable temples in India. There is no idol at all. The Goddess is worshipped as natural flames (jwala) that burn constantly from fissures in the rock of the sanctum, and the nine flames are honoured as nine forms of the Devi, including Mahakali, Annapurna, Chandi, Hinglaj, Vindhyavasini, Mahalakshmi, Saraswati, Ambika and Anjana. This is the Peeth where Sati’s tongue (jihva) fell. In the classical texts the Devi here is Siddhida (Ambika) and her Bhairava is Unmatta. A well-known legend says Emperor Akbar tried to put out the flames and failed, then offered a gold umbrella (chhatra) that turned into an unknown metal. You can still see it near the temple.
Our visit: We managed to cut the line and had darshan in about 45 minutes.
Maa Baglamukhi Mandir, Bankhandi (Kangra district)
Significance: This is not a Shakti Peeth. Baglamukhi (Pitambara) is one of the ten Mahavidyas, the Goddess who “paralyses” enemies, false speech and negative forces. Everything here is yellow: the temple, the clothes and the offerings. Tradition says the Pandavas installed the Goddess here during their exile. People come especially for havan, to win court cases and to remove obstacles, which is part of why it is so crowded.
Our visit: We reached at 4 PM to a huge crowd, with a wait of at least 2+ hours. We did namaskaram from outside and planned to come back on a weekday morning (see Day 6).
Shri Brajeshwari (Vajreshwari) Devi, Kangra town
We reached at about 5 PM.
Significance: Many people consider this the Shakti Peeth where Sati’s left breast fell. Jalandhar’s Devi Talab makes the same claim (see Day 6), because Kangra once lay within the old Jalandhar (Trigarta) kingdom. It was one of the richest temples in North India and was plundered by Mahmud of Ghazni in 1009, and the present structure was rebuilt after the 1905 Kangra earthquake. On Makar Sankranti the Goddess is covered in ghee-butter (ghrit mandal), which is later given out as healing prasad.
Our visit: Even though it was a Sunday evening the temple was empty, and I still do not know why. It was a very peaceful darshan.
Tip: Kangra to Dharamshala is only about 18 km, but the winding mountain roads and evening traffic made it a very tiring drive, and we reached our hotel around 9 PM. If you are fitting this many temples into one day, book your stay in Kangra or Jwalamukhi instead.
Days 4 and 5: Dharamshala
We took Day 4 completely off: no temples, just rest and photographs of the Dhauladhar range at sunset. On Day 5 we left around 9 and visited the HPCA Cricket Stadium, which has one of the most stunning settings of any cricket ground in the world, with snow peaks right behind the pavilion.
Stay: We stayed at Hyatt Regency Dharamshala. It is a resort and very expensive, and you don’t need to spend that much here. I booked all my hotels from the US and didn’t know the other options. No regrets, though: it helped me relax much better on our rest days.
One regret: we didn’t have time for Chamunda Devi, about 15 km from Dharamshala. It is one of the most important Devi shrines in the Kangra valley and is often visited along with Jwalamukhi and Brajeshwari.
Tip: Learn from my mistake. Chamunda fits easily into a Dharamshala rest day, or into the Kangra temple day if you stay in Kangra. I have included it in the tighter route at the end.
Day 6: Baglamukhi (second try) and Punjab
We left the hotel at 9 and went straight back to Baglamukhi, arriving around 10:30. On a weekday morning the temple was empty, and we spent about 15 peaceful minutes there.
Tip: Same temple, completely different experience: Sunday afternoon meant a 2+ hour wait, and Tuesday morning meant no wait at all. Plan the popular Himachal temples for weekday mornings.
Mata Bhadrakali Mandir, Sheikhupur (Kapurthala, Punjab)
Significance: This is a much-loved old Bhadrakali shrine in Sheikhupur village on the edge of Kapurthala town, about 20 km from Jalandhar. Some local devotees call it a Shakti Peeth, but it does not appear in the classical lists. Its annual mela in May is big enough that the district declares a local holiday for it.
Our visit: A small but very beautiful temple.
Stay: We ended the trip at Radisson Blu Hotel Amritsar Airport. Like the Hyatt, it is expensive, and there are cheaper options nearby. Again, I booked it from the US without knowing the alternatives.
Devi Talab Mandir, Jalandhar (Punjab)
For some reason this temple dropped out of my plan the night before, and I only realised after I got back to Chennai.
Significance: This is the Jalandhar Shakti Peeth from the classical lists (the Peetha Nirnaya Tantra), where Sati’s breast (stana) is said to have fallen. The Devi here is Tripuramalini and the Bhairava is Bhishana. The temple is right in the city and is named after its large sacred tank (talab). Every December the Harballabh Sangeet Sammelan, one of India’s oldest classical music festivals, is held here.
Quick reference: the temples on this route
| Temple | Location | Status / body part (per tradition) | Best time |
| Devikoop Bhadrakali | Thanesar, Kurukshetra, HR | Shakti Peeth — right ankle | Any time |
| Shakumbhari Devi | Jasmor, near Behat, Saharanpur, UP | Siddhpeeth (Peeth by local belief) | Avoid Navratri + 2 wks, Paush |
| Mata Mansa Devi | Bilaspur, Panchkula, HR | Peeth by local belief — forehead | Weekday |
| Naina Devi | Bilaspur district, HP | Shakti Peeth — eyes | Before 9 AM |
| Chintpurni | Una district, HP | Shakti Peeth — feet (some say forehead) | Weekday morning |
| Jwalamukhi | Kangra district, HP | Shakti Peeth — tongue | Weekday morning |
| Baglamukhi | Bankhandi, Kangra district, HP | Mahavidya temple (not a Peeth) | Weekday morning |
| Brajeshwari Devi | Kangra town, HP | Shakti Peeth — left breast (claimed) | Evening was quiet |
| Bhadrakali | Sheikhupur, Kapurthala, PB | Local Devi shrine | Avoid May mela |
| Devi Talab | Jalandhar city, PB | Shakti Peeth — breast (Tripuramalini) | Any time |
Logistics: what I would tell a friend
- Weekends make a huge difference in Himachal. Naina Devi, Chintpurni, Jwalamukhi and Baglamukhi are all within easy reach of Punjab and draw large weekend crowds. Do these on weekdays if you possibly can.
- Start early. Hilltop temples like Naina Devi are calm at dawn and packed by mid-morning.
- Special-darshan tickets exist. Chintpurni has a government ticket (₹500 when we went, plus a lift option), and Naina Devi reportedly has an NRI counter. Prices change, so check at the counter.
- Avoid festival windows. Both Navratris (Chaitra and Ashwin) bring melas lasting more than nine days at many of these temples. At Shakumbhari the crowd lingers for about two weeks after.
- Don’t underestimate hill driving. Short distances on the map can take 2–3 times longer in the hills, especially after dark. Don’t plan long drives after sunset.
- Choose your base well. Saharanpur for Shakumbhari, Anandpur Sahib for Naina Devi, and Kangra or Jwalamukhi for the Kangra-valley temples. Dharamshala is lovely, but it adds an extra climb at the end of a long day.
- Make a checklist. Write down every temple on your list with its town, and tick them off. That is how I would have caught Devi Talab.
Jai Mata Di! If you have done this circuit or are planning to, share your experience or questions in the comments. I would be happy to help.
