In Amarkantak, Madhya Pradesh, Kalmadhav Devi Temple honours Kalmadhav Devi (Kali), Bhairava Asitanga. It is also known as Kalmadhava Temple, Kalamadhav Shakti Peeth, Kalmadhab Devi Mandir.
Kalmadhav Devi Temple is widely described across Hindu pilgrimage and temple-directory sources as one of the 51 (or, by some counts, 52) Shakti Peethas, the spot where the left buttock or hip of Sati is said to have fallen. However, this exact temple name does not appear in more rigorously compiled Shakti Peetha lists, such as the one on the English Wikipedia Shakti Peetha article (based on the Tantra Chudamani tradition), which instead names a separate 'Narmada' Shakti Peetha at Amarkantak. Multiple independent pilgrimage-directory sources describe Kalmadhav and this Narmada/Shondesh Shakti Peetha as two separate, nearby temples with different presiding goddess names and different Bhairava consorts (Asitanga versus Bhadrasen) and different sides of the body (left versus right buttock), rather than the same site under different names, though this distinction rests on tertiary pilgrimage sources rather than a scholarly or canonical text. Its inclusion among the classical 51 should therefore still be treated as a strong, consistently repeated local and pilgrimage tradition that is not fully confirmed by more rigorous sources, rather than settled fact. Local tradition places this temple on a hill near Amarkantak, at the meeting point of the Vindhya, Satpura and Maikal ranges, as the spot where a part of Sati's body fell, most commonly described as the left buttock or hip, making it a Shakti Peetha.
Madhya Pradesh carries a distinct temple identity of its own: The heart of India, home to two of the twelve Jyotirlingas, the UNESCO-listed temples of Khajuraho, and the hilltop Shakti shrine of Maihar.
Darshan hours and daily worship
| Session | Timing (as published) |
|---|---|
| Morning | 5:00 AM |
| Evening | 7:00 PM |
Morning and evening aarti are said to be performed daily. Exact timings could not be independently confirmed from a primary source and are best checked locally before visiting.
Poojas and daily rituals
Daily aarti and puja, with special worship during Navratri
Festivals and special-day timings
Regular darshan hours are usually extended, or set aside entirely, on these dates.
| Festival | Period | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Navratri | March-April and September-October | Nine-night worship of the goddess, the temple's most significant festival period |
| Mahashivratri | February or March | Festival for Shiva/Bhairava observed at the temple |
History and architecture
Architecture
White-stone hill temple reached by around 100 steps, set beside a kund near the Son river
History
Local tradition places this temple on a hill near Amarkantak, at the meeting point of the Vindhya, Satpura and Maikal ranges, as the spot where a part of Sati's body fell, most commonly described as the left buttock or hip, making it a Shakti Peetha. Pilgrimage-directory sources consistently and independently describe Kalmadhav (left buttock, presided over by Kali/Asitanga) and a separate Narmada Udgam Shakti Peetha (right buttock, presided over by goddess Narmada Devi and Bhairava Bhadrasen/Bhadrasenishwar, at the source of the Narmada river) as two distinct temples in close proximity at Amarkantak, rather than the same site under two names; this would make Amarkantak one of the few places associated with two separate Shakti Peethas. Claims about the temple's age vary widely across sources, from a few centuries to several thousand years, and could not be independently verified.
Planning your visit
How to reach
Nearest railway station is Pendra Road (reported distances vary across sources, roughly 17 to 31 km away). Nearest airport is Jabalpur, roughly 225 to 230 km away. Amarkantak town is well connected by road from Bilaspur, Pendra and Shahdol.
Where this information comes from
Confidence: Medium. It is now reasonably well corroborated across multiple independent pilgrimage-directory sources that Kalmadhav Devi Temple (left buttock, Kali, Bhairava Asitanga) and the Narmada/Shondesh Shakti Peetha (right buttock, Narmada Devi, Bhairava Bhadrasen) are two distinct temples in close proximity at Amarkantak rather than the same site under different names, though this still rests on tertiary pilgrimage sources rather than a scholarly or canonical text; built era, exact age and precise distance to the nearest railway station could not be verified and vary between sources, so these are left blank or given as ranges