Vindhyachal is a city in Mirzapur district of the

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

n state of

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 195 ...

. The city is a

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

site having the temple of

Vindhyavasini Yogamaya (), also venerated as Vindhyavasini, Mahamaya, and Ekanamsha, is a Hindu goddess. In Vaishnava tradition, she is accorded the epithet Narayani, and serves as the personification of Vishnu's powers of illusion. The deity is regarded ...

, who according to

Markandeya Purana The ''Markandeya Purana'' ( sa, मार्कण्डेय पुराण; IAST: ) is a Sanskrit text of Hinduism, and one of the eighteen major Puranas. The text's title Markandeya refers to a sage in Hindu History, who is the central c ...

had incarnated to kill the demon Mahishasura. The detailed description has been given in ' Durga Saptashati' Chapter of Markandeya Purana. The river

Ganga The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...

flows through this city. The Indian Standard Time (IST) line passes through the Vindhyachal railway station.

Maa Vindhyavasini temple

Vindhyachal are located at a distance of 70 km from

Varanasi Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world. * * * * The city has a syncretic t ...

and 85 km from

Allahabad Allahabad (), officially known as Prayagraj, also known as Ilahabad, is a metropolis in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.The other five cities were: Agra, Kanpur (Cawnpore), Lucknow, Meerut, and Varanasi (Benares). It is the administra ...

, is a renowned religious city dedicated to Goddess

(daughter of

Yashoda Yashoda ( sa, यशोदा, translit=Yaśodā) is the foster-mother of Krishna and the wife of Nanda. She is described in the Puranic texts of Hinduism as the wife of Nanda, the chieftain of Gokulam, and the sister of Rohini. According to the ...

Nanda Nanda may refer to: Indian history and religion * Nanda Empire, ruled by the Nanda dynasty, an Indian royal dynasty ruling Magadha in the 4th century BCE ** Mahapadma Nanda, first Emperor of the Nanda Empire ** Dhana Nanda (died c. 321 BCE), last ...

). Goddess Vindhyavasini is believed to be the instant bestower of benediction. Vindhyavasini Devi Temple is situated 8 km from Mirzapur, on the banks of the

holy river Sacred waters are sacred natural sites characterized by tangible topographical land formations such as rivers, lakes, springs, reservoirs, and oceans, as opposed to holy water which is water elevated with the sacramental blessing of a cler ...

Ganga. It is one of the most revered Siddhapeeths of the presiding deity, Vindhyavasini Devi. The temple is visited by large number of people daily. Big congregations are held during

Navratras Navaratri is an annual Hindu festival observed in the honour of the goddess Durga. It spans over nine nights (and ten days), first in the month of Chaitra (March/April of the Gregorian calendar), and again in the month of Sharada. It is o ...

Chaitra Chaitra (Hindi: चैत्र) is a month of the Hindu calendar. In the standard Hindu calendar and India's national civil calendar, Chaitra is the first month of the year. It is the last month in the Bengali calendar, where it is called Ch ...

(April) and

Ashwin Ashvin or Ashwin or Ashwan (; bn, আশ্বিন; hi, आश्विन; or, ଆଶ୍ୱିନ; Malay/ Indonesian: ''Aswin''; Thai: ''Asawin''), also known as Aswayuja, is the seventh month of the lunisolar Hindu calendar, the solar ...

(October) months. Kajali competitions are held in the month of Jyestha (June). The temple is situated just 2 km from the Kali Khoh.

Trikona Parikrama

There are several temples of other deities in the vicinity, the most famous ones being Ashtabhuja Devi Temple and kalikhoh Temple. There is

parikrama Parikrama or Pradakshina is clockwise circumambulation of sacred entities, and the path along which this is performed, as practiced in the Indic religions - Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism. In Buddhism, it refers only to the path a ...

(circumambulation) which constitute: #Maa Vindhyavasini Devi Temple, dedicated to Goddess Durga. #Kali khoh temple, in form of ancient

cave A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

dedicated to Goddess Maha Kali (6 km from Vindhyavasini temple) Here, the deity represents to incarnation of Hindu Goddess Durga, for killing demon Raktabeeja. #Ashtabhuja temple, dedicated to Goddess Maha Saraswati (on a hillock, 8 km from Vindhyavasini temple) It is believed, that Ashtabhuja was sister of Krishna, who came here, after relieving herself from the grip of demon Kansa, who wanted to kill her, just after her birth to Vasudeva and Devaki.

Important Places in Trikona Parikrama

#Kankali Devi temple, dedicated to Maa Kali in the form of skeleton, as described in 11th chapter of Durgasaptashati (Markandeya Puran) # Shivashiv Samooh Awadhoot Ashram, a center point (Bindu) of naturally formed Shri Chakra, Near Gerua Talab. The place where, Maharishi Lalbhatta Maharaj attained Nirvikalpa samadhi. Awadhoot Kripanandnath continued this lineage. Samooh celebrates its foundation day on the pious occasion of Basant Panchmi every year. are organised by samooh on different occasions at this place.

Demographics

As per provisional data of 2011 census,

Mirzapur Mirzapur () is a city in Uttar Pradesh, India, 827 km from Delhi and 733 km from Kolkata, almost 91 km from Prayagraj (formally known as Allahabad) and 61 km from Varanasi. It is known for its carpets and brassware industries, and the folk ...

-cum-Vindyachal urban agglomeration had a population of 245,817, out of which males were 131,534 and females were 114,283. The population in the age range of 0–6 years was 29,619. The effective literacy rate of population 7 years and above was 77.85 per cent. India

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

Vindyachal and

were together considered a single census entity: a municipal board tagged as ' Mirzapur-cum-Vindhyachal'. It had a population of 205,264, of which males were 109,872 and females 95,392. The population between 0 to 6 years was 28,666. The crude literacy rate was 62.9% and the effective literacy rate was 72.1%.

The city

Vindhyachal, a Shakti Peeth, is a center of pilgrimage in Mirzapur district, Uttar Pradesh. The Vindhyavasini Devi temple located here is a major draw and is thronged by hundreds of devotees during the Navratris of Chaitra and Ashwin months to invoke the blessings of the Goddess. Other sacred places in the town are Ashtbhuja temple, Sita Kund, Kali Khoh, Budeh Nath temple, Narad Ghat, Gerua talab, Motiya talab, Lal Bhairav and Kal Bhairav temples, Ekdant Ganesh, Sapta Sarovar, Sakshi Gopal temple, Goraksha-kund, Matsyendra kund, Tarkeshwar Nath temple, Kankali Devi temple, Shivashiv Samooh Awadhoot Ashram and Bhairav kund. Mirzapur is the closest railhead. Vindhyachal has regular bus services to the nearby towns. The nearest railway station is at Mirzapur. Some of important trains also halt at Vindhyachal railway Station (Code : BDL). Regular bus services connect Vindhyachal to the nearby towns.

Attractions

* Vindhyavasini Devi Temple

References

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External links

Vindhyavasini temple
Cities and towns in Mirzapur district Shakti temples