Karmandir करमंदिरहिंदीGet the app

Kaila Devi Temple

Kailadevi village, Karauli district, Rajasthan (about 25 km from Karauli, on the Kalisil river)

ShareTelegramXFacebook
Kaila Devi Temple
Photo: Divyendu sharma, CC BY-SA 4.0

About

The Kaila Devi temple stands in the Trikut hills on the banks of the Kalisil river, about 25 km from Karauli. Maa Kaila Devi is worshipped as Mahayogini Mahamaya, and beside her sits Maa Chamunda; the larger of the two murtis is Kaila Devi's. Devotees believe she is the same Yogmaya who was born in the home of Nand and Yashoda. The temple is of white marble, and its dome is covered with gold. The royal family of Karauli has looked after it for centuries. Its Chaitra fair is among the biggest in Rajasthan, when lakhs of pilgrims arrive singing languriya songs.

The story

The story goes that on the night Shri Krishna was born, Vasudev ji left the baby Krishna with Yashoda and brought her newborn daughter back to the prison. When Kans tried to kill the baby girl, she rose into the sky in her divine form and said that the child he was seeking was safe. Devotees believe this same Yogmaya is worshipped here as Kaila Devi. The temple quotes the Skanda Puran as saying that in Kaliyug the goddess would be known as 'Kaila' and worshipped as 'Kaileshwari'.

Local tradition says a saint named Kedargiri did tapasya by the river, and the goddess promised him she would come among the people of this area. Another story says a yogi coming from Nagarkot was carrying her murti on a bullock cart to keep it safe; deep in the forest the bullock stopped and would not move, and the murti was set up at that very spot.

Maharaja Gopal Singh of Karauli laid the foundation of the present temple in 1723, and it was finished in 1730. He also brought the murti of Chamunda Ji from Gagron, where it had been worshipped since about 1150. Later rulers added a kund, dharamshalas and marble work, and in 2017 the dome was covered with gold.

Visiting

The Chaitra fair brings very heavy crowds; for a quiet darshan, October to March outside the fair days is best. The nearest railway stations are Gangapur City and Hindaun City. The Kaila Devi wildlife sanctuary, which joins Ranthambore, begins near the temple, and the Madan Mohan Ji temple in Karauli town is also worth a visit.

Festivals

  • Chaitra Lakkhi Mela (from Chaitra Krishna Dwadashi, for about a fortnight)
  • Sharad (Ashwin) Navratri
  • Shukla Ashtami of every month

Devta dhams

Sources