Chausath Yogini Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Jabalpur Dumna airport is about 40 km away and the most convenient for flights.

• By train

  Jabalpur Railway Station is a significant West Central Railway station.

• By road

  The temple is about 25 km from Jabalpur city, and road transport is the best way to reach it.

Why devotees come here

Chausath Yogini Temple stands on a hilltop above the Narmada river in Bhedaghat, near Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. It has shrines for 81 yoginis rather than the usual 64, and it is the largest of the circular yogini temples.

Yoginis are usually shown as a group of 64. This temple has shrines for 81, and the group of 81, called ekashi in Hindi, is a mark of royalty. That suggests a king founded the temple. The main shrine today is dedicated to Devi Durga, considered the chief among the yoginis.

King Yuvaraja II of the Kalachuris of Tripuri built the temple early in the 11th century. In 1155 CE a building was constructed in the south-centre of the circle, and the temple was adapted as a Gauri-Shankar temple. Accounts differ on which deity the shrine held after that change.

It is the largest of the circular yogini temples, some 125 feet in diameter. A covered walkway with 81 cells for yoginis runs round the inside of the circular wall. Most of the images have had their faces broken, and some survive only from the waist down.

Tips for your visit

• Take a boat ride past the marble rocks on a moonlit night, when the stone shines like silver.
• Full moon nights are considered auspicious here, and large crowds of devotees gather.

Questions people ask