Why Is It Famous: Famous for being considered one of the ‘shaki peethas’, the temple of Alopi Devi is the place where the last fragment of Sati’s body fell and she got disappeared. Owing to getting disappeared, the goddess was called as Alopi Devi which means the goddess that disappeared. The majority of locals consider Alopi Devi as their guardian deity. The temple is considered to be blessed with divine power and visited by thousands of devotees every day. The temple is unique in the sense that there is no idol of any deity in the sanctum sanctorum, instead a hanging wooden cradle / palanquin (Doli / Palki – डोली / पालकी) is worshipped. The ‘palki’ or ‘doli’ is fastened in the center of the ‘vimaan’/ ‘shikhar’ (विमान / शिखर) of the temple. The cradle remains wrapped in red cloth. This ‘doli’ is always adorned with flowers, garlands, and other embellishments. The devotees celebrate festivals, birthdays, anniversaries and other special occasions in this temple.
Legend: There are two popular stories related to the origin of Alopi Devi Temple. As per the ‘Puranas’ (पुराण), it is one of the ‘shakti peethas’ and related with Lord Shiva and Goddess Sati (Partvati). As the legend goes, Lord Shiv was completely shattered and heartbroken when Parvati got Sati. The grieving Shiva wandered through the sky carrying her dead body in his hands. To save the world from Lord Shiv’s ire, it was necessary to bring Lord Shiva out of agony and helplessness. So, Lord Vishnu released Sudarshan Chakra (सुदर्शन चक्र) on the corpse. It resulted in fragmentation of the dead body of Sati into several parts. The various parts of the body had fallen at 52 different places of India. These places were sanctified by the touch of the body parts of the goddess and called later on as ‘shakti peethas’. Hence, these are thus considered as holy places for pilgrimage. It is mentioned in ancient scriptures that at the site of Alopi Devi Temple, the right palm of the goddess had fallen in a ‘kund’ (pond) and got disappeared. But, many find this story debatable because it is believed that Prayagraj has the sole ‘shakti peeth’- the Lalita Devi Temple where the fingers of Sati are believed to have fallen.
The second story as per the locals is something different. As per them, while Alopi Devi, a newly married bride moving in this wooden palanquin along with the ‘barat’ (बरात - participants in the marriage procession), the robbers attacked the procession. Strangely, she disappeared from the palanquin. It is believed that robbers killed all the men, looted all the wealth, and moved to attack the bride. The disappearance of the bride was deemed a miracle and a temple was erected at the same site to worship the divine bride. The temple built on that particular site is, therefore, named Alopi Devi Temple. The locals began to worship the bride a ‘Alopi Devi’ or the ‘virgin goddess who had vanished’.
Architecture: The architecture of Alopi Devi Temple is quite simple compared to many other famous temples in India. But, the aesthetics of the temple is quite amazing. The ‘vimaan’ (विमान) or ‘shikhar’ (शिखर) is of conical shape, adhering to the ‘Nagar’ style of temple architecture which is prominently found in north India. The temple campus is spacious and devotees have a good time inside the temple. The aura of the temple is totally positive. On the right side of the temple, adjacent to the ‘parikrama-path’ (परिक्रमा पथ – Circumambulatory Pathway) around the sanctum-sanctorum, is a gallery of smaller shrines dedicated to nine incarnations of Goddess Durga. These incarnations are Shailputri (शैलपुत्री), Brmhcharini (ब्रह्मचारिणी), Chandraghanta (चंद्रघंटा), Kushmanda (कूष्मांडा), Skandmata (स्कन्दमाता), Katyayani (कात्यायनी), Kalratri (कालरात्रि), Mahagauri (महागौरी) and Siddhidatri (सिद्धिदात्री). On the occasion of nine-day Hindu festival of Navaratri, all these incarnations are worshipped by the pilgrims and devotees.
Festivals like Maha Shivratri, Chaitra Navratri, Sharadiya Navratri, Dussehra, Durga Puja, Diwali etc are celebrated with great enthusiasm. Alopi Devi Temple remains open on all days. There is no entry charge for the devotees to visit this temple. People can visit this temple throughout the year but the best time to visit is during the winter or during the Kumbh Mela. The Kumbh Mela site is close to this temple. Hindu faithful keep visiting the temple for Mundan Sansakar (मुंडन संस्कार - Head Tonsuring Ceremony) of their children. One can spot a permanent shop of a barber on the extreme right corner.