Kunjapuri Temple, Uttarakhand

Kunjapuri Temple is situated on the top of the hill Kunjapuri 1,676m high, 7 km away from Narendra Nagar, around 15 km from Rishikesh and 93 km from Devapraya. Trek from Hidolakhal village to the temple through the green forest will be more adventurous to nature lovers. The distance is 5km. The Char Dham pilgrims can pay a visit to Kunjapuri temple on their way from Rishikesh to Gangotri. The sunrise and sunset view from the Himalayan peak are mesmerizing. After reaching the temple, one can shoot photographs and enjoy the surrounding beauty.

Kunjapuri is the temple of Goddess Durga, as it being one of the thirteen Shakti Peethas (Power Centers) in Shivalik Range and one of the three Shakti Peethas in Tehri district established by Jagadguru Shankaracharya. Other two Shakti Peethas in the district are Surkanda Devi and Chandrabadni. Kunjapuri, along with these two peethas form a holy triangle.

Kunjapuri Temple, Adali,Uttarakhand

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Goddess Parvati is the consort of Lord Shiva. In her previous birth, Goddess Parvati was known as Sati. She had married the Lord, but her father King Daksha was not too pleased. He had organized a Yagna, a spiritual gathering where offerings are made to Agni Dev (Fire God). He had purposely not invited his daughter and her husband. When Sati came to know of this, she was furious and decided to go uninvited. Lord Shiva tried to persuade her to drop this idea, but she was relentless.

King Daksha gave his reasons to Sati which was nothing but public humiliation of her husband. Angered by this, Sati jumped into the sacrificial fire and ended her life. Lord Shiva was torn apart. He destroyed and created havoc at the Yagna. Then carried the remains of Sati’s body on his shoulder and danced the dance of destruction-Tandav which would eventually destroy the Universe. While other versions state that in grief, the Lord carried her body on his shoulders and walked aimlessly in grief. He refused to complete the final rites.

Lord Brahma, the creator of the universe felt that if Sati’s body did not receive proper cremation according to the Hindu Shastra’s then she could not take rebirth as Goddess Parvati. While Lord Vishnu was concerned that Lord Shiva’s grief would slowly cause the destruction of the Universe. They could not control or face Lord Shiva’s anger so Lord Vishnu took his Sudarshan Chakra (Disc) and cut the body into pieces. As Lord Shiva traveled her body parts fell on different places and last rites were done by the gods. The upper body fell on this place where the Kunjapuri temple stands today.

Kunjapuri temple is open from 6 am to 8 am. The Durga temple Kunjapuri receives thousands of visitors throughout the year but during Navaratras (April and October) there is much flow of devotees. In the Dusshera Festival, one can be part of the grand celebrations at Kunjapuri. The best time for Kunjapuri visit is from May to October.

May to October is considered as the best time for Kunjapuri Temple visit considering the warm Sun in the hilltop. One can visit the temple all around the year with suitable clothes. If one wants to participate on special festivals, Navaratri is the best time. Navaratra usually falls on October-November.

One first needs to reach Rishikesh and the journey begins to Kunja Puri.

By Road

The road network to Rishikesh is well defined connecting it to Garhwal, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi. One can take the National Highway 58 passing through Modinagar, Khatauli, Muzaffarnagar, Roorkee, Haridwar and Raiwala to get to Rishikesh.

By Rail

There is train facility between Haridwar and Rishikesh. Haridwar (24 km) connects Rishikesh to major cities of India, Kolkata, Mumbai, Delhi, Lucknow, Varanasi, Dehradun and other cities by train.

By Air

The nearest airport to Rishikesh is Jolly Grant Dehradun. Dehradun is connected to Rishikesh by train. One can hire a bus or taxi from the airport to reach Rishikesh.