Alopi Devi Mandir

Alopi Devi Mandir is situated in Alopibagh in Allahabad in state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is near to the holy Sangam, or confluence, where the rivers Ganges, Yamuna and the legendary Sarasvati meet. Kumbh Mela is near to this place. Alopi Devi continues to be worshiped by thousands of people living in the region who share every festival, marriage, birth and death with their guarding deity.

Alopi Devi Mandir is situated next to the place where the Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati rivers converge. This temple is one of the holiest in India. It is believed that when Sati was burnt, Lord Shiva was moving around the sky with her body. When Lord Vishnu saw this sight, he threw his chakra at the corpse to relieve Lord Shiva from the immense pain. All the places where her body parts fell are considered sacred till today and called the “Shaktipeeths.' Alopi Devi Temple is considered the place where the last part fell, and Sati disintegrated. The striking feature of this holy shrine is the wooden cot also known as doli, which is worshiped and not a deity inside the temple. Devotees from all over the country visit this place for its sanctity.

Alopi Devi Temple, lies a wooden cot, also known as “doli” of the new bride. It is this wooden craft that is devotedly worshipped by the people from all over the country. According to the Hindu belief, while Lord Shiva was grieviously travelling through the skies with the burnt body of his wife Sati, Lord Vishnu threw his chakra at the corpse in order to relieve Lord Shiva from his pain. The various places where the body parts fell were sanctified and deemed as “Shaktipeeths”. Alopi Devi temple is the place where the last part fell, marking the disappearance of Sati. Hence this place came to be known as Alopi which means disappeared.

The locals here have yet another story to offer! According to them, Alopi Mata is the newly wed bride who disappeared from the wooden carriage when the marriage procession was attacked by a group of robbers. The strange disappearance of the bride was deemed as a miracle and a temple was erected at the same site to worship the divine bride. Different people, different stories! Nonetheless, the Alopi Devi Temple continues to be visited by thousands of devotees from all over the country. The festival of Navratri is worshipped at a grand scale here with utmost pomp and gaiety.