Maa Harsiddhi Shakti Peetha is situated in the heart of India at the ancient city of Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh. At this place, Maa Sati’s elbow fell. This temple is adjacent to Mahakaleshwar Jyotilinga in Ujjain. According to Devi Bhagavata Purana, this is the 26th Shakti Peetha of Devi Maa out of the 51 main Shakti Peethas.
Maa Harsiddhi Shakti Peetha Temple at a glance:
| Temple Name | Maa Harsiddhi Shakti Peetha |
| Temple Location | Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, India |
| Type of Shakti Peetha | Main Shakti Peetha (1/53) |
| Devi Name | Devi Mangala Chandika |
| Bhairav Name | Kapilambara |
| Body Part / Ornament That Fell | Elbow (Kohni) |
| Opening Timings | Early Morning (5 AM) till Late Night (upto 9 PM) |
| Aarti Timings | – Morning: 7 AM – 8 AM – Evening: 6 PM – 7 PM |
| Important Events | – Navratri – Maha Kumbha Festival (Once every 12 years) |
| Route | – Railway Station: Ujjain – Nearest Airport: Indore – Well connected by Road |
| Other important Places Nearby | – Mahakal Jyotirlinga – Gadh Kalika (Sam Shakti Peetha) |
Significance of Maa Harsiddhi Shakti Peetha
The Shakti Peetha is mentioned in the various Peetha Nirnay texts which help describe / decide various Shakti Peetha of Devi Maa. The following shloka signifying the name of the Devi and the name of the Bhairava at this auspicious place as follows:
उज्जयिन्यां कूर्परञ्च माङ्गल्य कपिलाम्बरः
भैरवः सिद्धिदः साक्षाद्देवी मङ्गलचण्डिका ॥१६॥
Ujjayinyaam Kuurparan.-Ca Maanggalya Kapilaambarah
Bhairavah Siddhi-Dah Saakssaad-Devii ManggalacannddikaaMeaning:
Source: https://greenmesg.org/stotras/durga/shakti_peethas.php
At Ujjayini (Ujjayini) My auspicious Kurpara (Elbow) fell; Kapilambara (literally meaning wearing red clothes) is the Bhairava; there Devi Mangala Chandika (Auspicious Chandika) visibly gives Siddhi (spiritual accomplishments),
Lord Shiva blessed that whoever worships Maa Harsiddhi with utmost devotion gains Akshay Bhoga when alive and reaches Shiva Dham after his/her death.
Maa Harsiddhi Temple
The temple is red / saffron in color. There are famous lamp posts here which are adorned with diyas. They are lit especially in Navratri, the giant towers become visible from far.
There is also a small cave where it is said that the Great King Vikramaditya, used to offer his head to Devi Maa and she, pleased by his devotion, used to restore it. There is a small gallery where the Nav Ratna or 9 jewels of King Vikramaditya’s court are painted on the walls along with the King himself.
There are other small temples around the main temple. There is also a step well in the temple premises.
Devi
Along with the main deity of Harsiddhi Maa who sits on a throne like elevation, there are some other statues below the main deity.
There are also statues of Maha Lakshmi, Maha Sarasvati , Maha Kali and Maha Maya here.
There is a statue of Maa Annapurna behind Maa Harsiddhi. Thus Devi Maa here is also worshipped as Goddess Annapurna who is responsible for feeding the hunger of the world. There is an ancient Shri Yantra here in front of the Goddess
In front of the deity is a Shri Yantra. It’s also said that the main deity is also established on top of a Shri Yantra. The same Shri Yantra is also in detail painted on the ceiling of the temple:
The insides of the temple walls also have gorgeous paintings of 9 forms of Devi Maa which are worshipped in the 9 days of the Navratri festival.
The Story in Puranas
There are two main stories which significantly mention this Shakti Peetha.
Daksha Prajapati Yagya
First is the same as the origin of all Shakti Peethas: After her husband, Lord Shiva was insulted by her father Daksha Prajapati in his yagya Maa Sati immolated herself. Angry and grief stricken Lord Shiva took Devi Sati’s body and Lord Vishnu with his Sudarshana cut into pieces. Each place where the body part fell, became a Shakti Peetha. A main center of the worship of Goddess. Where her ornaments fell, became Upa Shakti Peetha.
Slaying of Chanda and Munda
The second story is in the Skanda Purana in the Ujjayini Mahatamya. Two evil rakshas Chanda and Munda caused havoc in the world. Once they came to the abode of Lord Shiva and when stopped his steed Nandi, they injured him. This angered Lord Shiva and he though of Devi and requested her to rid the world of these evil rakshas. Devi killed both of them with a mere thought and pleased, Lord Shiva named her Harsiddhi. As she is the slayer of Chanda and Munda , she is also known as Chamundeshwari Devi.
Temple Reachability:
Maa Harsiddhi Temple is near the Mahakleshwar Jyotirlina and thus is easily reachable from the railways station or bus stand. The nearest airport is the Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar Airport, about 60 km away in the city of Indore.
The Holy City of Ujjain :
Ujjain is one of the most ancient cities of India, still continuously being inhabited. It is also one of the most sacred cities as one of the Seven Sacred Cities (Sapta Puris). It is also one of the 4 sites where Amrita fell and where Mahakubha is organized once every 12 years. It is also the city with the famous Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga. It also has 2 Shakti Peetha of Devi Maa: this Harsiddhi temple and the Gadh Kalika Temple.
Short of having a Dham, the Ujjain city has the most important places of worship for Hinduism. It’s one of the greatest, the most auspicious and the holiest cities in the world.
My Visit to Maa Harsiddhi Shakti Peetha:
As I belong to Madhya Pradesh and was born and raised here, I’ve been fortunate to visit Maa Harsiddhi temple several times in my life so far. The familiarity and attachment with the place is also the reason I decided to start with this Shakti Peetha. It was also the last Shakti Peetha I’d visited.
My latest visit to Maa Harsiddhi Temple was in June 2023. About one month of first publication of this post.
Another Maa Harsiddhi Temple near Dwarika, Gujarat:
There is another Maa Harsiddhi temple near Dwarika in Gujarat. It’s said that Devi there was worshipped by Lord Krishna. It’s also said that King Vikramaditya first saw the Devi there and then asked her to come to his Kingdom city so he could do daily darshan of her.
Both temples have similar statues of Devi Maa. But the temple in Ujjain is considered to be the main Shakti Peethas as per multiple Purana and other sources.
References and Footnotes:
- Please see our detailed book and website references in the about section of this website: https://devishaktipeetha.com/about/
- The story behind this site and the aim of this site are in detail here: https://devishaktipeetha.com/story-behind-this-site/
- We’ve extensively referred to the “Durga Shakti Peetha” Nirnay Texts at GreenMsg for the significance and the mention of the Shakti Peetha, with thanks: https://greenmesg.org/stotras/durga/shakti_peethas.php
- Harsiddhi Mata Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harsidhhi#:~:text=Harsiddhi%2C%20a%20contracted%20form%20or,Harshad%2C%20Harshat%2C%20Harsidh%20Bhvani.