Location: Alopibagh, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh
The possibility of the impossible is what that keeps our faith in the divine alive. A lot of things that happen in our lives appear to be so bizarre that they are regarded as a miracle. Just like the story of the Alopi Devi Temple in Allahabad. Situated near the holy sangam of Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati, this temple is one of the most astounding temples that I have ever come across. This temple is regarded to be one of the 18 shaktipeeths and also the holliest of them all. The uniqueness of the temple lies in the fact that there is no statue of the Deity that is worshipped here.
In the sanctom sanctorum of the Alopi Devi Temple, lies a wooden cot, also known as “doli” of the new bride. It is this wooden craft that is devotedly worshipped by the people from all over the country. According to the Hindu belief, while Lord Shiva was grieviously travelling through the skies with the burnt body of his wife Sati, Lord Vishnu threw his chakra at the corpse in order to relieve Lord Shiva from his pain. The various places where the body parts fell were sanctified and deemed as “Shaktipeeths”. Alopi Devi temple is the place where the last part fell, marking the disappearance of Sati. Hence this place came to be known as Alopi which means disappeared.
The locals here have yet another story to offer! According to them, Alopi Mata is the newly wed bride who disappeared from the wooden carriage when the marriage procession was attacked by a group of robbers. The strange disappearance of the bride was deemed as a miracle and a temple was erected at the same site to worship the divine bride. Different people, different stories! Nonetheless, the Alopi Devi Temple continues to be visited by thousands of devotees from all over the country. The festival of Navratri is worshipped at a grand scale here with utmost pomp and gaiety.
Whether for the sake of belief or for the unique way of worship; whatever be the reason, visiting the Alopi Temple is definitely a must!
Timings: 4 am- 10 pm
Entry: Free
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