Yogmaya Temple stands in New Delhi, Delhi, honours Yogmaya, an incarnation of Durga and sister of Krishna. It is also known as Jogmaya Mandir, Yogamaya Temple.
The temple enshrines Yogmaya, worshipped as the daughter of Yashoda and sister of Krishna; according to the legend, Kansa attempted to kill her at Krishna's birth, but she escaped and foretold Kansa's death at Krishna's hands before vanishing. The temple stands close to the Qutb complex and Iron Pillar, within the ancient fortress walls of Lal Kot, and is one of the few living links to Delhi's pre-Islamic temple architecture. It is also the starting point of the annual Phool Walon Ki Sair festival. According to local tradition and priestly records, this is the only surviving temple in Delhi from the pre-Sultanate period still in active use, out of 27 temples said to have been destroyed by the Mamluk dynasty.
Delhi carries a distinct temple identity of its own: The capital's spiritual landmarks, from the vast modern Swaminarayan Akshardham to the 1939 Birla Mandir and the sprawling Shakti shrine at Chhatarpur.
Darshan hours and daily worship
| Session | Timing (as published) |
|---|---|
| Morning | 5:30 AM |
| Evening | 8:30 PM |
Aarti is performed around 5:00 AM and 8:00 PM
Festivals and special-day timings
Regular darshan hours are usually extended, or set aside entirely, on these dates.
| Festival | Period | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Phool Walon Ki Sair | Autumn, typically October or November | An interfaith festival begun in 1812, starting at the dargah of the Sufi saint Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki and including the offering of a floral punkah (fan) at the Yogmaya temple; it originated from a vow made by a Mughal queen for her son's safe return |
History and architecture
Architecture
An entrance hall leads to a sanctum sanctorum about 17 feet square with a flat roof topped by a 42-foot truncated shikhara bearing a copper-plated pinnacle. The shrine sits within a roughly 400-foot square walled enclosure with corner towers; the sanctum floor, originally red stone, has since been replaced with marble. An Islamic-style hall was reportedly added during Aurangzeb's reign.
History
According to local tradition and priestly records, this is the only surviving temple in Delhi from the pre-Sultanate period still in active use, out of 27 temples said to have been destroyed by the Mamluk dynasty. It is said to have been rebuilt by the Hindu king Hemu (Samrat Vikramaditya Hemu) after being restored from ruins, with further changes made over subsequent centuries and a rebuilding in 1827. The area of Mehrauli itself appears in 12th-century Jain scriptures as Yoginipura, a name derived from this temple.
Planning your visit
How to reach
The nearest metro station is Qutub Minar, about 1.2 km away (a 12 to 15 minute walk through Mehrauli's lanes); Saket metro station is also nearby but farther on foot, so a taxi or auto-rickshaw is often easier.
Where this information comes from
Confidence: Medium. The Pandava-era origin and the claim of being the only surviving pre-Sultanate temple in Delhi rest on local tradition and priestly accounts rather than independently verified historical records