Himachal Devi Temples: Naina Devi, Chintpurni, Jwala Ji, Chamunda

By Teerthayan • October 2026

The main Himachal Devi temples are Naina Devi in Bilaspur district, Chintpurni in Una district, and Jwala Ji, Brajeshwari Devi and Chamunda Devi in Kangra district. All five lie within about 200 km of each other in the lower hills, so a road trip from Delhi or Chandigarh can cover them in four to six days without any trekking. Most pilgrims also add Mansa Devi at Panchkula on the way in.

The five temples and their stories

In Himachal these shrines are linked with the legend of Sati, whose body is said to have fallen in pieces across the subcontinent, each place becoming a seat of the Goddess. Naina Devi, Chintpurni, Jwala Ji and Brajeshwari are each tied to a part of Sati's body, and Chamunda is counted with them in the local tradition of the five Devi shrines of Himachal. For the pan-Indian list, see our Shakti Peeth list.

Temple	District	Belief	How you reach the shrine
Naina Devi	Bilaspur	Sati's eyes fell here	Road to the hill town, then steps or ropeway
Chintpurni (Chhinnamastika)	Una	Sati's feet fell here	Walk up through the bazaar lane, then the queue
Jwala Ji	Kangra	Sati's tongue fell here	Short walk from the town; flat approach
Brajeshwari Devi	Kangra town	Sati's left breast fell here	Short walk through the old market
Chamunda Devi	Kangra, near Palampur	Chamunda Nandikeshwar Dham, Devi with Shiva	Drive to the temple on the Baner river

Naina Devi

Shri Naina Devi stands on a hilltop in Bilaspur district, right on the border with Punjab and looking over the Gobind Sagar reservoir. A ropeway runs to the top, which helps elderly pilgrims; otherwise there is a stepped path from the parking area. It is about 110 km from Chandigarh, so it is usually the first Himachal stop.

Chintpurni

Mata Chintpurni, also worshipped as Chhinnamastika, is in Una district. The final approach is on foot through a narrow lane lined with prasad shops, and the queue can be long on weekends. The temple trust offers live darshan online and has introduced a Sugam Darshan option; check the current rules before you travel.

Jwala Ji (Jawalamukhi)

There is no idol at Jwala Ji. The Goddess is worshipped as small, steady flames that come out of the rock inside the sanctum, usually counted as seven or nine; they are fed by natural gas seeping through the rock. According to the Kangra district administration, the town is about 30 km from Kangra and 55 km from Dharamshala.

Brajeshwari Devi (Kangra Devi)

Brajeshwari, also called Vajreshwari or Kangra Devi, is in the old town of Nagarkot (Kangra), about 11 km from Kangra railway station and close to Kangra Fort. The temple was destroyed in the Kangra earthquake of 1905 and rebuilt afterwards.

Chamunda Devi

Chamunda Nandikeshwar Dham sits on the bank of the Baner river about 10 km west of Palampur and roughly 15 km from Dharamshala, with the Dhauladhar range behind it. Because Shiva is worshipped here with the Devi, many families do a short puja at both shrines.

Which order to follow

There is no fixed order. From Delhi or Chandigarh, the natural line through the hills is Naina Devi, Chintpurni, Jwala Ji, Brajeshwari and Chamunda, ending near Dharamshala. Pilgrims coming from Pathankot or Jammu often do it in reverse. If you only have four or five days, a sensible pace for these Himachal Devi temples is one or two darshans per day.

Leg	Approx. road distance
Delhi to Chandigarh	About 250 km
Chandigarh to Naina Devi	About 110 km
Kangra to Jwala Ji	About 30 km
Dharamshala to Chamunda Devi	About 15 km

Our Himachal Devi temple packages

We run two versions of this circuit:

• Chaturshakti Darshanam: 5 Days / 4 Nights from Delhi / Chandigarh, from ₹ 19,900 per person (minimum 1 pax). It covers Mansa Devi, Naina Devi, Chintpurni, Jwala Ji and Bajreshwari Devi, with four breakfasts and four dinners and a private air-conditioned vehicle for the complete circuit.
• Himachal Panch Shakti Peeth Yatra: 6 Days / 5 Nights from Delhi, from ₹ 24,900 per person (minimum 1 pax). It adds Chamunda Devi and Baglamukhi, with five breakfasts and five dinners, a night in Dharamshala and a private AC vehicle from Delhi for the round trip.

Both include a Teerthayan trip coordinator and 24x7 emergency assistance, along with toll taxes, parking and driver allowances. Ropeway tickets are not included in Chaturshakti Darshanam unless they are specifically added.

Best time to visit the Himachal Devi temples

March to June and September to November are the most pleasant months. The two Navratris, Chaitra (March-April) and Ashwin (September-October), are the biggest occasions at every one of these temples, with fairs, decorated shrines and the heaviest crowds of the year. Naina Devi and Chintpurni also hold large fairs during the Shravan Navratri in July-August, which falls in the monsoon, when landslides can close hill roads. Winter (December to February) is quiet and cold, with snow on the Dhauladhar above Dharamshala, but the temples themselves stay open.

Practical tips

• Leave early for Chintpurni and Naina Devi; weekend queues build quickly after 9 am.
• Carry little: some temples do not allow bags, leather items or phones in the sanctum.
• Prasad of chunri, coconut and sweets is sold near every temple; you do not need to bring it from home.
• Hill roads are winding. Travellers prone to motion sickness should eat lightly before road days.
• Pack a warm layer even in summer for early starts and evening aarti; see our pilgrimage packing list.

Families who also want Vaishno Devi often combine this circuit with Jammu; our Vaishno Devi trek guide helps with that part of the plan.