Bela Devi Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Lucknow airport is the nearest airport, about 180 km from Pratapgarh.

• By train

  Pratapgarh Junction is the nearest railway station, about 2 km from the temple.

• By road

  The temple is about 2 km from Pratapgarh railway station and is almost equidistant from Pratapgarh bus station.

Why devotees come here

Bela Devi Temple is an important shrine on the bank of the Sai river in Pratapgarh district, Uttar Pradesh. The Devi is worshipped here as Belha, the local form of Devi. The present main temple is about two hundred years old.

Bela Devi Temple stands on the bank of the Sai river in Pratapgarh district. Locally the Devi is called Bela Mai. The shrine is seen as an example of the old Shakti worship tradition of northern India, and it is one of the important temples on the Sai.

Legend says the waist part of Sati fell at this spot. Another legend says Rama worshipped Belha Devi here on the Sai river while he was going into exile. Both are told as legend, not as recorded history.

The present main temple was built by Raja Pratap Bahadur Singh of Awadh, and it is about two hundred years old. In the sanctum the Devi is worshipped as a stone pindi, along with a marble bust. The bust sits in a small vaulted shrine covered in silver plate and silver embossed work. The present temple stands as a witness to the exciting past of the Pratapgarh region. Historically the temple made proper arrangements for pilgrims during the Navaratra melas.

Festivals

• NavaratraNavaratra melas

  Historically the temple made proper arrangements for pilgrims visiting during these melas.

Tips for your visit

• Devotees enter by the main gate and leave by a separate exit gate.
• Packed prasad is allowed inside the temple.

Questions people ask