Pilgrimage Tours
Photo: Ms Sarah Welch · Wikimedia Commons · CC0
The Chausath Yogini Temple stands on a hill above the Narmada at Bhedaghat, near Jabalpur, and is one of the few surviving yogini shrines in India where worship still continues. It was built by the Kalachuris of Tripuri around the late 10th to early 11th century, and is a rare circular temple — an open courtyard about 125 to 130 feet across, ringed by a covered walkway of stone cells, each holding a carved yogini seated on her own vehicle, many of them named in inscriptions. Although it is called Chausath (sixty-four), scholars note the ring actually holds more than sixty-four cells, including images of the eight Matrikas. At the centre stands a later Gauri-Shankar shrine, added in the 12th century, with Shiva and Parvati seated together on Nandi; from the courtyard edge the Narmada and the marble gorge lie directly below.
October to March is the comfortable window — Jabalpur summers are severely hot and the hilltop courtyard is open to the sun. Navratri, in Ashwin (usually September–October) and again in Chaitra (March–April), is the most devotional time at any Shakti shrine, and full-moon nights are traditionally held auspicious here, which is also when Bhedaghat's marble gorge draws its largest crowds. If you are travelling with elders, avoid full-moon and Navratri weekends and pick an ordinary winter weekday morning instead.
Bhedaghat is roughly 20–25 km from Jabalpur city by road, and taxis and autos run there through the day. The nearest railhead is Jabalpur Junction, about 22 km away, well connected to Delhi, Mumbai, Nagpur and Bhopal. The nearest airport is Jabalpur (Dumna), roughly 40 km from the temple, with limited flights to Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad; many South-Indian travellers fly instead to Nagpur or Bhopal and continue by train or road.
The temple sits on a hill and is reached by a flight of about 150 stone steps. There is no lift or vehicle access to the courtyard, and the steps are open and uneven in places, so elders and anyone with knee trouble should plan for a slow climb with rest halts, and carry water. The temple is a protected monument as well as a living shrine; confirm visiting hours and any photography restrictions locally before you travel.
Planned around you, not a fixed departure. Holiday Vibez arranges pilgrimages to Chausath Yogini Temple in Jabalpur for families, elders and temple groups travelling from Chennai, Coimbatore, Kochi and Madurai. Tell us your dates and how many are coming — we build the route around that. 100% customisable.
- Stays near the shrine — so elders aren't driven back and forth at 4am.
- Private transfers — pick-up from your door, not a meeting point.
- Meals that suit the group — including pure-veg and fasting requirements.
- Group travel — 4 people or 40, one coordinator, one itinerary.
- Someone on the phone — when you're in a queue three states from home.
Temple boards run their own darshan queues and quotas. No travel agent can sell you a special one, and agencies that promise "VIP darshan" are either misleading you or breaking the trust's rules. We help you book the official slots and we get everything else right.
Most of the people we send on yatra are over 55, or booking for parents who are. We plan shorter driving days, stays within walking distance where the shrine allows it, and we'll tell you honestly if a site involves a long climb or a trek before you pay — not after.
Is the Chausath Yogini Temple still a working temple, or only a monument?
It is both. It is a protected ancient monument, and worship continues at the central Gauri-Shankar shrine, which is one reason it is counted among the few living yogini temples left in India. Many of the yogini figures in the outer cells are damaged, so the ring is visited more as a place of darshan and reverence than of individual puja.
How many steps are there, and can elderly parents manage the climb?
Around 150 stone steps lead up to the courtyard. Most reasonably mobile elders manage it by climbing slowly with breaks, but there is no ramp, lift or vehicle route to the top, so anyone who cannot climb stairs will not be able to reach the shrine.
Can we combine the temple with Bhedaghat's marble rocks and Dhuandhar falls in one day?
Yes. The temple, the marble gorge boat ride and Dhuandhar falls are all within a few kilometres of each other at Bhedaghat, and a half-day from Jabalpur covers all three comfortably. Boating on the Narmada is seasonal and can be suspended when the river is high in the monsoon, so check locally on the day.
Plan your Chausath Yogini Temple yatra
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