Janasthan · Panchavati · Nashik · Maharashtra · Godavari
Where the chin of Goddess Sati fell upon the sacred forest of Dandakaranya — the same ancient land where Lord Rama walked in exile, where Shurpanakha met her fate, and where fourteen thousand demons fell to dharma. The Goddess of the Black Bees stands here in her most fierce and primal form, Bhramari, destroyer of arrogance itself, on the banks of the holy Godavari.
← Back to All 52 ShaktipeethsBackground & Mythology
Bhramari Devi is the thirteenth of the 52 Maha Shakti Peethas, enshrined at Janasthan in the Panchavati area of Nashik city, Maharashtra, on the banks of the sacred Godavari river. This is the site where the chin of Goddess Sati — both parts of the Chibuka — fell upon the earth of the Dandakaranya forest, the same ancient woodland that forms the living theatre of the Ramayana's central act.
The Goddess here is Bhramari — "the one surrounded by black bees," a form of Mahakali that is uniquely powerful in the Hindu Tantric tradition. The name derives from Bhramara, meaning black bee. Bhramari is dark in colour, described as "brilliant as a million dark suns," and is depicted with black bees circling around her — in her first hand she holds black bees, while her other hands offer boons and protection. This is not merely a symbolic image: there is a complete Puranic narrative behind this form — the story of the demon Arunasura — that explains exactly why and how the Goddess took this extraordinary bee-form to save creation.
The presiding Bhairava is Vikritaksha — "the one with distorted or fierce eyes," also called Sarvasiddhish, "the one who grants all desires." The temple is located at Panchavati — the five-banyan-tree grove that is one of the most sacred sites in the entire Ramayana geography, where Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana built their hermitage during the forest exile, and where the pivotal events that led to Sita's abduction — Shurpanakha's encounter, the killing of Khara-Dushana and 14,000 rakshasas — unfolded.
The temple was built in 1790 CE by Sardar Ganpatrao Patwardhan Dixit at the request of devotees. One of its most striking architectural features is that it has no shikhara (spire or pinnacle) — the kalash was deliberately not installed on the temple, reflecting a historical concern about the destruction that might follow from raising a visible symbol of Hindu worship in the political climate of the time. The idol of Bhramari Devi is made of panchaloha (five-metal alloy), stands approximately 38 centimetres high, and has 18 arms bearing a variety of divine weapons. On the throne, the idols of Navadurga surround the central high idol of Bhadrakali.
Why People Visit
On the banks of the sacred Godavari, in the ancient forest where Rama's exile unfolded and demons fell to dharma — the chin of the Goddess rests in Maharashtra's most sacred valley. Bhramari Devi draws pilgrims who seek protection from enemies, the power of focused unity, and the fierce grace of the Goddess who proved that the smallest force, wielded with divine will, is the most powerful force of all.
Getting There
The Bhramari Shaktipeeth is in Panchavati, Nashik city, Maharashtra — approximately 8 km from Nashik Road railway station and 3 km from the Nashik CBS bus stand. Nashik is 171 km from Mumbai (~3 hrs), well connected by rail and road. Ozar Airport (Nashik) provides direct domestic connections. For the Saptashrungi circuit, Vani is 60 km from Nashik by road.
Visitor Guidelines
Bhramari Devi's shrine at Janasthan is an ancient, living temple in one of Maharashtra's most spiritually charged cities. Come as you would to a forest hermitage — with the quiet, attentive consciousness of a pilgrim who understands that every tree, every stone, and every bend of the Godavari here is saturated with thousands of years of sacred history.
In the ancient forest where a God chose exile over comfort, where demons fell to dharma, and where the most humble creatures in creation — black bees, guided by divine will — defeated the greatest arrogance in the cosmos — the chin of Sati rests in the sacred earth of Panchavati. Come to Nashik and let Bhramari Devi remind you: the smallest force, united and purposeful, can bring down the mightiest darkness.