CityDekho
Jayanti (Nartiang Durga) Temple

Jayanti (Nartiang Durga) Temple

pilgrimage site · Meghalaya

State
Meghalaya
Type
Pilgrimage Site
Best season
Winter

Jayanti (Nartiang Durga) Temple in Nartiang, Jaintia Hills, Meghalaya is one of the Shakti Peethas, the sacred shrines of the Divine Mother in the Shakta tradition of Hinduism. According to tradition, this is where the left thigh of Goddess Sati fell when Lord Vishnu's Sudarshana Chakra divided her body. Here the Goddess is worshipped as Jayanti (Nartiang Durga), and her guardian Bhairava (a form of Shiva) as Kramadishwar. Shakti Peethas are among the holiest pilgrimage sites for devotees of the Goddess, drawing pilgrims especially during Navratri and Durga Puja. Each is tied to the legend of Sati, whose body parts fell across the Indian subcontinent and beyond, sanctifying the ground where they landed.

When to go

Navratri (around October and April) is the most auspicious time; winter months are comfortable for a quieter visit.

Why visit

The Durga temple of the Jaintia kings, and the one place in Meghalaya where Durga Puja is a centuries-old royal rite rather than an import. Nartiang's monolith field, a short walk away, is the largest collection of standing stones in the state.

Cultural notes

Presiding deity (Shakti): Jayanti (Nartiang Durga). Bhairava (consort/guardian): Kramadishwar. Associated relic: the left thigh of Goddess Sati. The site forms part of the Shakti Peetha pilgrimage circuit rooted in the Daksha Yagna legend.

Jayanti (Nartiang Durga) Temple guide & itineraries

Been to Jayanti (Nartiang Durga) Temple?

Write what you would tell a friend — where you stayed, what you would skip, the thing you wish somebody had mentioned before you went. We read every submission before it goes up.

Share your story

More spiritual places to explore

More places you'll love

Maharashtra

Siddhivinayak Temple (Mumbai)

Shree Siddhivinayak is Mumbai's most beloved Ganesha temple, built in 1801 and today one of the richest and most-visited shrines in India.

Kerala

Padmanabhaswamy Temple (Thiruvananthapuram)

Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram is a Vaishnava shrine where Lord Vishnu reclines on the serpent Anantha in the Anantha-shayanam posture.

Karnataka

ISKCON Temple

ISKCON Sri Radha Krishna Temple in Rajajinagar is one of the largest ISKCON temples in the world, a striking blend of modern glass-and-steel architecture with…

Maharashtra

Trimbakeshwar (Jyotirlinga)

Trimbakeshwar, near Nashik in Maharashtra, enshrines one of the twelve sacred Jyotirlingas of Shiva and marks the source of the Godavari, India's…

Andhra Pradesh

Srisailam (Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga)

Srisailam, set amid the forested Nallamala Hills above the Krishna River, is home to the Bhramaramba Mallikarjuna Temple, a rare site that is at once one of…

Kerala

Guruvayur (Sri Krishna Temple)

Guruvayur is a temple town in Kerala centred on the revered Sri Krishna (Guruvayurappan) Temple, often called the Dwarka of the South.

Gujarat

Shatrunjaya Hill

Shatrunjaya Hill rises above the Shatrunjaya River near Palitana town in Bhavnagar district, and no other mountain in the world carries anything like what…

Gujarat

Pavagadh Hill

Pavagadh Hill is a volcanic plateau rising about 822 metres from the plains of the Panchmahal district, at the heart of the UNESCO-listed Champaner-Pavagadh…

Gujarat

Valsad

Valsad, once known as Bulsar, sits at the southern tip of Gujarat on the Arabian Sea.

Gujarat

Jamnagar

Jamnagar, once the princely capital of Nawanagar under the Jadeja rulers, sits on the southern Gulf of Kutch.

Gujarat

Gandhinagar

Gandhinagar is Gujarat's planned capital, laid out on the west bank of the Sabarmati by the architects H.K. Mewada and Prakash M.

Tamil Nadu

Kanyakumari Beach

At the southernmost tip of mainland India, Kanyakumari is famous for sunrises and sunsets over three converging seas, the Vivekananda Rock and the…

Trending in Meghalaya

Shillong

Shillong

Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya, is the cultural and musical heart of Northeast India — nicknamed the 'Scotland of the East' for its rolling hills and pine-clad landscape. With its cafe scene, live-music culture, waterfalls and easy access to the wonders of Meghalaya, it has become a top pick for young travellers heading east. The city blends Khasi culture, colonial-era charm and a famously music-loving population (it's often called India's rock capital) with a buzzing cafe and hostel scene. It works perfectly as a workation base and a launchpad for Cherrapunji, living root bridges and Dawki's crystal-clear river.

Cherrapunji & Living Root Bridges

Cherrapunji & Living Root Bridges

Cherrapunji, known traditionally by its indigenous name Sohra, is a high tableland at 1,430 metres on the southern face of the East Khasi Hills in Meghalaya. The land drops away sharply from it into the low-lying plains of Bangladesh, and what lies between is cut by deep vertical canyons, honeycombed with colossal limestone caves, and hung with some of the world's highest plunge waterfalls — among them Nohkalikai, the tallest plunge fall in India. The valleys below hold the living root bridges. Khasi clans grow them over decades, training the aerial roots of Ficus elastica trees out across thundering mountain rivers. The finest of them is the Double Decker Living Root Bridge, deep on the valley floor at Nongriat village.

Dawki & Mawlynnong

Dawki & Mawlynnong

Dawki and Mawlynnong sit in the southern hills of Meghalaya near the Bangladesh border, known for the crystal-clear Umngot River and for Mawlynnong's title as 'Asia's cleanest village'. Between them they make one of the Northeast's most photogenic offbeat circuits, and a busier one every year. The Umngot at Dawki is so transparent that the boats on it appear to float on air; people come to take a boat out and to camp. Mawlynnong, nearby, keeps itself clean by community effort, and has living root bridges and a sky-walk viewpoint over the plains of Bangladesh. It is a genuinely sustainable place to visit.

Umiam Lake (Barapani)

Umiam Lake (Barapani)

Umiam Lake, popularly known as Barapani, is a large, sparkling reservoir set among pine-clad hills just north of Shillong in Meghalaya. Created by a dam on the Umiam river, it is a favourite spot for water sports, boating and photography, and a classic stop on the drive from Guwahati to Shillong.

Where next?

More like Jayanti (Nartiang Durga) Temple

Spiritual & Pilgrimage

Or a different kind of trip

Hill StationsBeachesHeritage

Everything in MeghalayaBrowse all destinations