Alopi Devi Mandir - Recognition, & best time to visit

Alopi Devi Mandir is located near the holy confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and Saraswati river in Alopibagh, Allahabad in the state of Uttar Pradesh. This temple is considered the holiest among all the Shakti Peethas Shrines due to its uniqueness. It is believed that the last part of Sati Devi's body part fell at this location and she disappeared from the earthly realms, hence named Alopi (means disappeared). Also believes that it is the spot where ‘Fingers’ of the Devi Sati fell. The majority of locals consider Alopi Devi as their guardian deity.

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What modern history says?

During 1772 AD, the great Maratha Warrior Shreenath Mahadji Shinde built up the Sangam spot while he was living in Allahabad, according to history. Further, Maharani Bayzabai Scindia contributed to the renovation of Sangam Ghats and temples around. People throng in huge numbers to worship a wooden 'doli' that depicts the Goddess. The temple is believed to have been built by the local devotees.

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Infrastructure

With the simple architecture, Alopi Devi temple is aesthetically built with a conical roof, which is similar to other temples in the region. As there is no deity inside the sanctum sanctorum, but there is a wooden palanquin (doli) kept on a marble stand, which is worshipped by the devotees. It is adorned by the flowers, garlands, and other embellishments.

Legend

As per the Hindu mythology, the divine Shakti took birth to the King Prajapati Daksha as Devi Sati and later married Lord Shiva after worshipping him with utmost faith. Once her father disgraced Lord Shiva, which enraged her severely, and she immolated herself in the fire. When Lord Shiva heard about Sati’s death, his rage knew no limits and rendered a terrible ‘Tandava’ or dance of destruction. He even started wandering around the three worlds holding Sati’s body. The other Gods requested Lord Vishnu to calm Shiva and reinstate him to normalcy. Lord Vishnu used his Sudarshana Chakra and cut the lifeless body into 51 pieces, which fell on earth at different places. These 51 places are recognized as ‘Shakti Peethas’ serving as holy shrines today. It is believed that it is the spot where ‘Fingers’ of the Devi Sati fell and disappeared from the earthly realms. Moreover, it is also considered that it is also the spot where the last body part of Devi Sati had fallen.

Another legend about this temple, which is narrated by old habitants, says that back in history, the entire area was covered by thick forests and full of dacoits. Once, there was a marriage procession that was passing through to the dense jungle and attacked by a gang of burglars. During the medieval period, the marriage processions used to be the most imperative targets for these robbers. Further, the marriage group was surrounded by the robbers who killed all the men and robbed wealth that was with them. Afterward, they turned up to the bride’s palanquin (doli) to sack the valuables, but they found there was no one inside. To their astonishment, the bride had magically vanished. The word escalated around, history turned into legend and legend grew into myth. The temple was constructed at the location and locals started revering the bride as ‘Alopi Devi’ or the 'virgin goddess who had disappeared'.

More Information about the Temple

Timings of the temple: 4.00 AM to 10.00 PM

Special Occasions

The festival of Navratri is worshipped at a grand scale here with utmost pomp and gaiety.

Other places to see around

The city lies close to Triveni Sangam (three-river confluence) and is the place of offerings that presents wonderful sight-seeing spots to its visitors. Some of them are:

Triveni Sangam
Allahabad Fort
Anand Bhavan
Bade Hanumanji Mandir
Minto Park
Kalyani Devi Temple
Khusro Bagh
Chandrasekhar Azad Park
Patalpuri Temple
Someshwar Mahadev Temple
Lalita Devi Temple

How to reach Alopi Devi Mandir

The city of Allahabad is easily accessible from any part of the country through different modes of transports:

By Air: The city airport, which is Allahabad Airport is just about 16 km from the temple.
By Rail: Udaipur railhead is just 3 km away from the Tripura Sundari temple. Agartala railway station is also near to the temple at a distance of approximately 50 km.
By Road: Udaipur city has good connectivity with all the major cities in Tripura. Since Agartala lies at a distance of around 60 km, it has regular bus service, which can be taken to reach the temple.

Best Time to Visit Tripura Sundari Temple

The temple can be visited at any time of the year, while the winter season from December to March is considered as the best time. It is because the weather is pleasant with the temperature ranges between 10-20 degrees Celsius providing an enjoyable atmosphere.