Location

The ancient temple for the worship Of Maa Maha Kaali As Kalika Mata is located at an elevation of 762 meters above sea level on the peak of pavagadh hill, in the indian state of gujarat making it the oldest temple in the region with origins dating back to the 10th and 11th centuries. 

Devotees have been making pilgrimages to this sacred site long before the surrounding champaner evolved into a prominent city, and this tradition has endured for centuries, persisting even to the present day despite champaner’s decline. The temple complex is now part of the champaner-pavagadh archaeological park, a UNESCO world heritage site.

The address of the temple is: The “Kalika Mata” Temple, pavagadh hill, panchmahal, gujarat, india.

An intriguing legend  

According to historical records, jaisinh, a king of the patai dynasty, ruled the champaner kingdom at the foot of the pavagadh hill. An intriguing legend about the temple recounts an event during a celebration in worship Of Maa Maha Kaali, when the community arranged a garbha performance. During the festivities, Maa Maha Kaali Was Immensely Pleased With the devotion of Her devotees And Decided To Partake In the dance, Taking On A Physical Form. However, king jaisinh, enchanted By The Mesmerizing Beauty Of The Form Of The Divine Mother, expressed inappropriate desires. Despite being Cautioned By Her, the king continued to throw lustful glances, and acted disrespectfully. This Angered The Divine Mother Greatly, Leading Her To Curse the king, Foretelling a catastrophic decline for his kingdom. Later, the mughal king mahmud begada invaded champaner and defeated the king in battle, and thus the thriving champaner kingdom collapsed due to The Curse Of Maa Maha Kaali. 

Visiting hours

The temple welcomes pilgrims round the clock, with its doors open from dawn till late in the evening to cater to visitors at any time. 

Temple timings : 5:00 AM to 7:00 PM
Aarti timings
5:00 AM and 6:30 PM

Entry price : None for the temple
Cable car – INR 90 – 120

Pilgrims can find lodging at the machi haveli, a dedicated rest house designed to accommodate them during their visit.

How to reach the temple

Devotees can reach the temple by the following modes of transportation:

• By road: champaner is 45 km from vadodara, accessible by bus or private vehicles. Cars can be hired in vadodara to drive to champaner-pavagadh, which is the best option if you want to combine the journey with other sites like jambughoda.
• By Train: The city lies on the busy mumbai-delhi western railway mainline and is well connected by premium trains like shatabdi and rajdhani.
• By air: Visitors from outside and inside india can reach gujarat airport by covering a flight journey from their places of departure. Domestic flights connect vadodara (BDQ) to major cities in india.

Reaching the temple at the summit involves a roughly 5-kilometer hike along a jungle trail leading to the hill’s peak. Alternatively, there’s a cable car service available from the midway point, which is the furthest point accessible by road that can transport to the summit.

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