🛕 Shaktipeeth #9 of 52 · Devikoop, Kurukshetra, Haryana, India · Body Part: Right Ankle of Goddess Sati
⚔️ Shaktipeeth #9 of 52 — The Right Ankle of Sati · Haryana

Savitri
Bhadrakali

Devikoop · Thanesar · Kurukshetra · Haryana

Where the right ankle of Goddess Sati fell into the sacred well — the Devikoop — on the battlefield plains of Kurukshetra. Maa Bhadrakali presides here beside the Dwaipayan Lake, on the very earth where the Pandavas prayed before the great Mahabharata war and where Lord Krishna spoke the eternal Bhagavad Gita.

← Back to All 52 Shaktipeeths
Right Ankle
Body Part of Sati
Gulpha — the step of resolve
Devikoop
The Sacred Well
Koop = well; ankle fell here
Sthanu
Presiding Bhairava
Sthanu Mahadev — the immovable lord
Kurukshetra
Dharmakshetra
Land of the Gita & Mahabharata

Background & Mythology

About Savitri Bhadrakali Shaktipeeth

Savitri Bhadrakali is the ninth of the 52 Maha Shakti Peethas, enshrined at Shri Devikoop Bhadrakali Mandir on Jhansa Road, Thanesar, in the district of Kurukshetra, Haryana. This is the sacred site where the right ankle of Goddess Sati fell into a well — the Devikoop — making this one of the few Peethas in India where the body part fell not on earth, but into water, imbuing the sacred well with the Goddess's power for all time.

The temple is set on the tranquil banks of the Dwaipayan Lake in Thanesar — the ancient town whose name derives from "Sthaneshwar," meaning "Place of God," a reference to the very Bhairava who presides at this Peetha: Sthanu Mahadev, the immovable, pillar-like aspect of Shiva. Here the Goddess is worshipped as Savitri — the solar, radiant, life-giving form of Shakti — and also as Bhadrakali, the fierce, auspicious, dark protector of the field of Dharma.

This Shaktipeeth carries four names, each revealing a different layer of its sacred identity: Savitripeeth (after the solar form of the Goddess), Devikoop (after the sacred well where the ankle fell), Kalikapeeth (after her fierce form), and Aadi Peeth — the "primordial seat," a name that places this shrine among the most ancient and foundational Shakti sites in all of northern India. The temple complex today features a soaring 108-foot dome devoted to Maa Bhadrakali flanked by two 71-foot domes for Maa Saraswati and Maa Lakshmi — the three great powers of the Goddess united in a single sacred compound.

Kurukshetra itself is one of Hinduism's most charged sacred landscapes: the dharmakshetra where the Mahabharata war was fought, where Arjuna received the Bhagavad Gita from Krishna, where countless sacred tanks and tirths mark the earth. That a Shakti Peetha should rest here — the ankle of the Goddess on the field where Dharma was fought for and won — gives this site a unique dual character: fierce feminine power on the ground of righteous struggle.

Sati's Sacrifice — Honour Over Life
Goddess Sati could not endure her father Daksha's public slander of her husband Shiva at the great yajna. Unable to stand the calumny and humiliation, she laid down her life in the sacrificial fire — a supreme act of devotion and self-honour. Shiva, overwhelmed with grief, clasped her body to his heart and wandered across all creation performing the devastating Tandava.
Vishnu's Sudarshana Chakra — Sorrow Becomes Sacred Geography
Lord Vishnu, watching the cosmic chaos unfold, deployed his Sudarshana Chakra to gently sever Sati's body into 52 sacred pieces. Each fragment that fell upon the earth — or water — became a Shaktipeeth, a seat of the Goddess's living power. This act transformed Shiva's unbearable grief into a gift to all of humanity: a sacred map of the subcontinent drawn in the Goddess's body.
The Right Ankle Falls into the Devikoop
Sati's right ankle — the Gulpha, the foundation of her sacred stride — fell from Shiva's arms and descended into a well in what would become Thanesar, Kurukshetra. The well, now called the Devikoop ("the Goddess's well"), was thus consecrated by the ankle's fall. A marble ankle has since been placed before the main idol to recall this moment — the Goddess's step preserved in stone, in water, in perpetual remembrance.
The Pandavas Seek Bhadrakali's Blessing
Before marching to the great battle of Kurukshetra, the five Pandava brothers — along with Lord Krishna — came to this very Peetha to seek Maa Bhadrakali's blessing for their victory of Dharma over Adharma. After their victory, they returned to offer gratitude, donating their chariot horses to the Goddess. This act established the beloved tradition, still alive today, of devotees offering clay, silver, or metal horses to the Goddess when their prayers are fulfilled.
Krishna & Balram's Tonsure — The Goddess and the Avatar
Ancient tradition records that the mundan (tonsure, or first head-shaving) ceremony of Shri Krishna and his brother Balrama was performed at this very Shaktipeeth — connecting the Goddess of Kurukshetra to the divine childhood of the Avatar who later spoke the Gita on this same sacred earth. The Shakti Peetha and the Avatar's initiation are thus bound together in one holy geography.
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Sacred Identity
Savitri Bhadrakali of Devikoop
Where the right ankle of Sati fell into the sacred well of Kurukshetra — on the dharmakshetra where the Mahabharata was fought and Krishna spoke the eternal Gita.
Goddess
Savitri · Bhadrakali (also Devi, Kalika, Aadi Shakti)
Bhairava
Sthanu Mahadev — the immovable lord
Body Part
Gulpha — right ankle of Goddess Sati
Location
Jhansa Road, Thanesar, Kurukshetra, Haryana
Sacred Water
Devikoop (well) · Dwaipayan Lake · Brahma Sarovar
Also Known As
Savitripeeth · Devikoop · Kalikapeeth · Aadi Peeth
Key Festivals
Navratri (both) · Diwali · Shivratri
Unique Tradition
Offering clay/silver horses on wish-fulfilment
Scriptural Ref
Tantrachudamani · Skanda Purana (Kurukshetra Khanda)

Why People Visit

Significance of Savitri Bhadrakali

On the plains of Kurukshetra — where Dharma was fought for, where the Gita was spoken, where the Pandavas knelt before the Goddess — the right ankle of Sati rests in the earth. This Peetha unites the power of Shakti with the greatest battlefield of Hindu sacred history, drawing pilgrims who seek both the Goddess's fierce grace and the Gita's eternal wisdom.

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The Ankle — Power of the Sacred Step
The ankle is the joint of resolve — the hinge between the foot's rootedness and the leg's forward motion. Where Sati's right ankle rests at Kurukshetra, the Goddess blesses all who take decisive steps: those who stand firm in righteousness, those who move forward despite all odds, those who carry the weight of duty without flinching. Devotees come seeking the Goddess's blessing for courage, steadiness, and the strength to walk the path of Dharma.
Gulpha Shakti — Power of Righteous Resolve
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The Devikoop — A Goddess in the Well
Unlike most Shaktipeethas where the body part fell on land, at Kurukshetra it fell into a well — the Devikoop — making this one of the rare Peethas where the Goddess's presence is concentrated in water. The sacred well is the heart of the temple, with the ankle's marble representation placed before the main idol. The Koop is believed to hold the Goddess's power in liquid form: water drawn from this well or offered at this well carries extraordinary sanctity.
Devikoop — The Goddess in Water
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Kurukshetra — Where the Pandavas Prayed
The Mahabharata records that the Pandavas, with Lord Krishna, came to this Shaktipeeth before the great battle to seek Bhadrakali's blessing for their victory of Dharma over Adharma. After victory, they returned and donated their chariot horses to the Goddess. This episode established the beloved and living tradition of offering horses — in clay, silver, or metal — to Maa Bhadrakali when one's prayers are fulfilled, a practice that connects every present-day devotee to the Pandavas' act of gratitude.
Pandava Connection · Horse Offering Tradition
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Land of the Bhagavad Gita
Kurukshetra is the dharmakshetra where Lord Krishna spoke the Bhagavad Gita to the despondent Arjuna. The Gita Jayanti festival, marking the day the Gita was spoken, draws hundreds of thousands of pilgrims to Kurukshetra each December. To visit this Shaktipeeth as part of a Kurukshetra pilgrimage is to combine the fierce feminine power of the Goddess with the timeless wisdom of the Gita — a profound pairing of Shakti and Jnana, power and knowledge.
Bhagavad Gita Sacred Circuit
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Aadi Peeth — The Primordial Seat
One of the Peetha's four names is "Aadi Peeth" — the primordial or original seat. This name places Devikoop among the most ancient Shakti sites in northern India, suggesting a worship tradition here that predates systematic Shaktipeeth theology and reaches back to the very earliest layers of goddess veneration on the Kurukshetra plains. The name is a claim of spiritual seniority and primordial power.
Aadi Peeth — Ancient Primordial Power
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The Living Tradition of Horse Offerings
One of the most distinctive features of Devikoop Bhadrakali is the living tradition of offering clay, terracotta, silver, or metal horses to the Goddess when a wish or prayer has been fulfilled. This custom traces directly to the Pandavas' post-battle offering of their chariot horses. Today, the temple is surrounded by accumulated horse-offerings from across the centuries — a material archive of answered prayers that is found nowhere else among the 52 Shaktipeethas.
Horse Offering — Living Vow Tradition

Getting There

How to Reach Devikoop Bhadrakali

The Devikoop Bhadrakali Mandir is on Jhansa Road in Thanesar, Kurukshetra district, Haryana. Kurukshetra is excellently connected — 160 km from Delhi, 90 km from Chandigarh, and directly on the Delhi–Ambala railway main line. The temple is approximately 3 km from Kurukshetra railway station.

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By Air
Chandigarh Airport / Delhi IGI
Chandigarh Airport (IXC) is the nearest airport at approximately 90 km from Kurukshetra — about 1.5 hours by road. Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) is around 160 km away, roughly 2.5–3 hours by road or highway. From both airports, taxis, buses, and app-based cabs reach Kurukshetra directly. Chandigarh is the preferred gateway for most pilgrims coming specifically to Kurukshetra.
✈️ Chandigarh ~90 km · Delhi IGI ~160 km
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By Train
Kurukshetra Junction
Kurukshetra Junction (KKDE) is on the main Delhi–Ambala–Kalka railway line, one of India's busiest and best-served rail corridors. Express trains from Delhi (Shatabdi, Jan Shatabdi, and many others) cover the distance in 2–2.5 hours. Trains from Amritsar, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, and all major Punjab/Haryana cities stop here. From the station, the Devikoop temple is about 3 km — easily covered by auto-rickshaw or e-rickshaw.
🚂 Kurukshetra Junction (KKDE) · ~3 km to temple
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By Road
NH44 (Delhi–Ambala Highway)
Kurukshetra sits directly on National Highway 44 (the historic Grand Trunk Road), making it supremely accessible by road. From Delhi (160 km, ~2.5 hrs), Chandigarh (90 km, ~1.5 hrs), Ambala (40 km, ~45 min), and Panipat (70 km, ~1 hr). Haryana Roadways buses run frequently from Delhi ISBT, Chandigarh, and Ambala to Kurukshetra. Private Volvo and AC buses also serve this corridor. The highway is excellent and well-maintained throughout.
🛣️ Delhi ~2.5 hrs · Chandigarh ~1.5 hrs · Ambala ~45 min
🗺️ Getting Around Kurukshetra / Thanesar
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Auto-Rickshaw
Autos are the primary local transport from Kurukshetra station and city to Devikoop temple (3 km), Brahma Sarovar, Jyotisar Gita Mandir, and other sacred sites. Widely available at affordable rates.
E-Rickshaw
Electric rickshaws ply between the railway station, Thanesar market, and the major temples including Devikoop. Cheap, eco-friendly, and ideal for the flat Kurukshetra terrain.
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Hired Taxi
Hire a taxi for a full Kurukshetra pilgrimage circuit: Devikoop, Brahma Sarovar, Jyotisar (Gita birthplace), Sthaneshwar Mahadev, Baan Ganga, Sannihit Sarovar, and the Kurukshetra Panorama Museum.
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On Foot
The Devikoop temple, Dwaipayan Lake, and Sthaneshwar Mahadev (Bhairava shrine) are all within easy walking or short e-rickshaw distance of each other — ideal for a slow, devotional pilgrimage on foot.

Visitor Guidelines

Dos and Don'ts

Devikoop Bhadrakali is a deeply active temple with a devout local community and the weight of epic history behind it. Come as a pilgrim — with purity of heart, sincerity of purpose, and respect for the Goddess who has presided over this sacred ground since before the Mahabharata was fought.

Dos
Offer a horse at the temple if your wish is fulfilled — this is the most ancient and beloved tradition of Devikoop Bhadrakali, going back to the Pandavas themselves. Clay, terracotta, silver, or metal horses are available near the temple. Honouring the Goddess with a horse offering when she answers your prayer is the proper completion of the vow made in her presence.
Visit the Devikoop (sacred well) within the temple complex and offer your prayers here as well as at the main Bhadrakali shrine. The well is the Peetha's defining sacred feature — the site where the Goddess's ankle fell into water — and offering flowers or water here is a deeply resonant act of devotion.
Combine this Peetha with the Brahma Sarovar and Jyotisar to experience the full depth of Kurukshetra's sacred geography. The Brahma Sarovar (sacred tank where a solar eclipse bath is said to grant the merit of a thousand yagnas) and Jyotisar (the precise spot where Krishna spoke the Gita) are both within easy reach and together make this one of Hinduism's richest pilgrimage circuits.
Visit during Navratri (April or October) for the fullest experience of this temple's living worship. Thousands of devotees gather for the nine nights of goddess veneration, the temple is illuminated and decorated, and special pujas and abhishekams are performed throughout — a profound immersion in Bhadrakali's fierce grace.
Attend the Gita Jayanti celebrations in December if timing permits. Kurukshetra's most spectacular annual event draws hundreds of thousands of pilgrims to the land of the Mahabharata to mark the day Krishna spoke the Gita. Combining the Shaktipeeth darshan with Gita Jayanti offers a once-in-a-lifetime confluence of Shakta and Vaishnava devotion on the same sacred earth.
Take a dip in the Brahma Sarovar or Sannihit Sarovar before your darshan at the Peetha — the sacred tanks of Kurukshetra are among the most powerful tirtha-sthanas in all of North India, and a ritual bath here is considered a profound act of purification before entering the Goddess's presence.
Don'ts
No electronics or mobile phones inside the temple sanctum. The Devikoop Bhadrakali temple strictly prohibits cameras, mobile phones, and recording devices in the inner sanctum. Deposit all devices at the designated counter before entering. Security is maintained and violators are respectfully but firmly turned away.
Do not wear footwear inside the temple premises. Remove shoes and sandals at the entrance and leave them at the shoe-stand. The sacred floor of Devikoop is entered barefoot — following this rule is both a spiritual practice and a mark of respect for all other pilgrims who share the sacred space with you.
Do not carry non-vegetarian food or alcohol into the sacred precinct or its surroundings. Kurukshetra is a deeply Sattvic pilgrimage town — the entire area around the sacred tanks and temples is considered a zone of spiritual purity. Maintain purity of diet and conduct throughout your stay in the pilgrimage zone.
Do not touch or bathe in the Devikoop (sacred well) without permission. The Devikoop is a sacred ritual space, not a public bathing tank. Offerings and prayers near the well are welcomed, but physical contact with the well water requires the guidance and permission of the temple priests.
Avoid engaging with touts or unauthorised puja service providers outside the main temple gate. All authorised puja and archana services are available through the official temple counter at affordable, fixed rates. Do not be pressured into paying inflated amounts to individuals who approach you outside the main premises.
Do not leave the Brahma Sarovar area after dark without caution. Kurukshetra is generally safe for pilgrims, but the area around the sacred tanks and temples is best navigated during daylight or the well-lit evening hours of major festivals. Plan your darshan and return to your accommodation before late night, especially if travelling alone.
Do not rush through the Kurukshetra sacred complex. The density of sacred sites here — the Shaktipeeth, the Gita birthplace, the Brahma Sarovar, the Sthaneshwar Mahadev, the Sannihit Sarovar, the Panorama Museum — rewards at least a full day of unhurried pilgrimage. Plan for a minimum of one full day; two days allows the full sacred circuit without haste.
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Walk in the Footsteps of the Pandavas

On the same plains where Arjuna faltered and Krishna spoke the eternal Gita — where the Pandavas knelt before the Goddess and offered their horses in her name — the right ankle of Sati rests in the sacred well of Devikoop. Come to Kurukshetra and let Maa Bhadrakali fill you with the Goddess's unflinching grace, the courage of righteous resolve, and the steady step of one who walks the path of Dharma.