Alopi Devi Mandir

Special Features

Foundation Year: 500 years old

Other Speciality: Body Part: Fingers, | Maha Sakthipeeth |

Sthala Puran

Alopi Devi Mandir is a temple situated in Alopibagh in Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh, India. It is near the holy Sangam, or confluence, where the rivers Ganges, Yamuna, and the legendary Sarasvati meet. Kumbh Mela is near to this place.This temple is peculiar in that there is no statute of any deity in this temple. Rather, there is a wooden carriage or 'doli' which is worshipped. The origin of the name, Alopi (disappeared) Bagh, lies in the Hindu belief that after his wife Sati's death, the grieving Shiva traveled through the skies with her dead body. To relieve him from this agony, Vishnu threw his Chakra at the corpse, resulting in the fall of various parts of the body at various places in India, which were sanctified by the Goddess's touch body parts and hence were thereby deemed holy pilgrimage places. The last part fell at this location, thereby named "Alopi" (where disappearance was concluded)and the holiest of all. However, this claim is debatable since there is only one Shakti peeth in Allahabad, which is Lalita Devi temple, where the fingers of Sati are supposed to have fallen.Another more credible version is found in oral history traditions narrated by old inhabitants of the area. It dates back to when the entire region was covered by dense forests infested with dreaded dacoits. A marriage procession happened to pass through the forest. In medieval times, marriage processions used to be the most vulnerable targets of robbers as they used to return loaded with gold and other riches received as gifts. While deep into the jungle, the marriage party found itself surrounded by robbers. After killing all the men and looting the wealth, the robbers turned to the 'doli' or carriage of the bride. When they unveiled the carriage, they found there was no one inside. The bride had magically disappeared. The word went around. History became a legend, and legend became myth.[citation needed] A temple came up at the site where this incident occurred, and locals started worshiping the bride as "Alopi Devi" or the 'virgin goddess who had disappeared.'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.Though it was always a prominent temple in the neighborhood, its reach and following have seen a significant rise since the 1990s leading to large-scale renovation of the surrounding area.

Prayers and Benefits

Social Activities