Pilgrimage Tours
Photo: Alicia Nijdam · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0 · cropped
Shri Adya Katyayani Shakti Peeth, known to most people simply as Chhatarpur Mandir, stands on the southwestern edge of Delhi near Mehrauli and is dedicated to Katyayani, the sixth of the nine Navadurga forms of the Goddess. It was founded in 1974 by Baba Sant Nagpal, whose samadhi lies within the grounds in the Shiv-Gauri Nageshwar complex. The site is not an ancient one; what draws pilgrims is its scale and its craft — around 60 to 70 acres holding more than twenty shrines across three complexes, built largely in white marble with extensive jaali (perforated lattice) stonework, and mixing South Indian and North Indian temple forms. The inner shrine of Katyayani is furnished as the Goddess's own living quarters, with a silver bed and silverwork, and is opened to devotees only in the Navratri seasons.
October to March is the comfortable window, when Delhi's heat has broken and walking the large marble complex is easy on elders. The two Navratri seasons — Chaitra Navratri around March-April and Sharad Navratri around September-October — are when the Katyayani shrine itself is opened and the temple is at its most alive, but they are also punishingly crowded, with lakhs of devotees over those nine days; if you travel then, go very early in the morning and plan for long standing. Avoid May and June, when the Delhi afternoon is genuinely dangerous for older visitors.
Indira Gandhi International Airport is the nearest airport, roughly 12 to 15 km away by road, about 30 to 45 minutes depending on traffic. The nearest major railheads are Hazrat Nizamuddin and New Delhi stations, both roughly 20 to 25 km away. The simplest approach for most families is the Delhi Metro Yellow Line to Chhatarpur station, from which the temple is under a kilometre — a short walk or a shared auto. By road, the temple sits just off the Mehrauli-Gurgaon Road, about 5 km from Qutub Minar and around 15 km from Gurugram; parking is available but fills quickly on festival days.
The main Katyayani shrine — the silver-furnished inner sanctum — is opened only during the two Navratri seasons. Outside those periods the vast complex and its other temples are open as usual and darshan continues, but you will not enter that particular shrine. If seeing it is the reason for your trip, plan around Navratri and confirm with the temple before you travel. The complex is large and involves a fair amount of walking on marble, mostly level; footwear is left outside, so carry socks in summer when the stone gets hot.
Planned around you, not a fixed departure. Holiday Vibez arranges pilgrimages to Chhatarpur Temple in Delhi 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 Chhatarpur Temple a Shakti Peeth?
It carries the name Shri Adya Katyayani Shakti Peeth and is worshipped as a Shakti seat, but it is not one of the classical Shakti Peethas of the older Puranic lists. It was established in 1974 by Baba Sant Nagpal and is a modern shrine, revered for its devotion to Katyayani rather than for antiquity.
Can we see the main Katyayani idol at any time of year?
No. The inner shrine of the Goddess, with its silver bed and living chamber, is opened only in the Chaitra and Sharad Navratri seasons. The rest of the temple complex, including the Shiv-Gauri Nageshwar, Radha-Krishna, Ganesh and Rama shrines, is accessible through the year. Confirm current arrangements with the temple before you travel.
How much time should we keep for a visit with elderly parents?
Two to three hours is comfortable on an ordinary day if you want to see more than the main shrine — the grounds run to some 60 acres with over twenty temples, so there is real walking involved. During Navratri, allow considerably more and expect long queues managed entirely by the temple administration.
Plan your Chhatarpur Temple yatra
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