Alopi Devi Temple also known as Madhaveswari Temple and Alopi Sankari Devi Temple is situated in Alopibagh, Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. It is very near to the holy Sangam where the rivers Ganges, Yamuna and Saraswati meet which is called Triveni Sangam. Kumbh Mela is near to this place. This is the 18th and holiest of all the Shakti Peeths. Here the last part of the body, the finger of Goddess Sati fell down after the Sudarshan Chakra of Sri Vishnu cut it. The finger of the Goddess Sati fell at this place and disappeared immediately into a pit. So there is no statue in this temple.
Madhaveswari Devi is the main deity in this Ashtadasa Shaktipeeth temple. The striking feature of this holy temple is the wooden cradle also known as doli, which is worshiped and not a deity in the temple. Devotees from all over the country visit this place for its holiness. Navratri festival is celebrated on a large scale here with maximum spectacle and joy. The temple is unique and certainly worth a visit. During Navratri and other festive days, it is immensely crowded and one has to wait for hours for the Darshan.
Besides the main temple, there is a gallery for Durga on the right side of the temple. Here one can see the statues of nine incarnations of Maa Durga. Siddhidari. The Nine statues are Shailputri, Brahmacharini, Chandraghanta, Kushmanda, Skandamata, Katyayani, Kalratri, Mahagauri, During Navratri festival is celebrated in a grand manner and a huge number of people gather here from the first day. Many Hindu rituals are performed at this place. The famous one is the Mudan ceremony (Head tonsuring) of the child.
Alopi Sankari Devi / Temple Timings: 5:00 AM to 10:00 PM
Alopi Devi Shaktipeeth Temple History
There are mainly three stories about the word Alopi. They are,
Alopi Devi Temple Story 1:
Alopi means the one who disappeared. After Sati Dahana and Dhaksha Yagna destruction, Lord Siva is disturbed mentally and lifted Satidevi’s body and roaming without any destination. Lord Vishnu cut Sati Devi’s body parts by using Sudarshana Chakra. Every place, where Satidevi’s body part fell, became a Shaktipeeth. Prayaga is the last place, where the last part of Sati Devi’s body fell on the ground. Here Sati Devi’s body became disappeared, hence the name Alopi.
Alopi DeviTemple Story 2:
There are some other stories about Alopi Mata. In every temple, at least one idol or one symbol will be there for worshipping the goddess. But here, there is no idol or symbol. We have to imagine the goddess present on a wooden Jhula. Hence the name Alopi.
Alopi Madhaveswari Devi Mandir Story 3:
According to them, Alopi Mata is the newlywed 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.
Sthala Purana of Prayaga:
- Prayaga means Prakrishta Yaga, which means it is the place where Lord Brahma did a very great Yaga. Hence its name became Prayaga.
- Prayaga is considered one of the Sapta Mokshapuras. This place is also called Theertharaj, which means king of all Theerthas.
- Another important point is, this is the place of Triveni Sangamam. Generally, we consider the confluence of two water flows as a holy place. But, here we can see the confluence of three holy rivers, the Ganges, Yamuna and Saraswati. All three rivers have their importance individually. Hence the confluence became a very holy place. One should take a holy bath here when visiting this place. Here Kumbhmela will be conducted every 12 years.
Madhaveswari Devi Temple Address:
Alopi Bagh,
Prayagraj,
Uttar Pradesh – 211006.
Phone: 080816 20023