Kankali Devi Temple is one of the important temples devoted to Goddess Shakti. This temple is situated on a hill called Kankali where thousands of pilgrims visit throughout the year just for a glimpse of the goddess. Earlier, Kankali Devi was called Kamsa Devi. Her existence was associated with the birth of Lord Krishna. The Temple is another important Sacred Place In Mathura after the birthplace of Lord Krishna.
Shrine’s History
Kankali Devi was mentioned in several religious books and texts. Even the Vishnu Purana, Krishna Katha and Bhagavadgita explain the grandeur and magnificence of Kankali Devi. According to a legend, the birth of Kankali Devi is related to the birth of Lord Krishna. It is said that when the residents of Mathura were terrified of Kamsa , a prophecy stated that the eighth child of Devaki (mother of Lord Krishna) would kill Kamsa. Kamsa was horrified about this and as a result arrested his sister Devaki and her husband Vasudev. He imprisoned them and waited for the eighth child of Devaki. He killed all the six children of Devaki.
The seventh child was Balarama, brother of Lord Krishna. He was transferred from Devakis womb to Rohinis womb. He was saved from Kamsa. The eighth child was Lord Krishna. After the birth of Lord Krishna, Vasudeva carried his son to Nand (friend of Vasudeva). He exchanges his son to Nands daughter. Vasudeva brings back the baby girl to the prison. Kamsa rushes to the prison to see the eighth child of Devaki. He was shocked to see a baby girl. He thought it was a plan of Lord Vishnu and decided to kill that baby too. Kamsa banged the girl to a rock to kill her. But, she escaped from his hands and flies into the sky. She tells to Kamsa that the eighth child had already taken birth and he will be killed in a short period. After saying this, she disappears from there. Since then, this place is known as Kansa Kali (Kankali).
Shrine’s Map Location and How to Go There
By Road
Roadways perfectly join Mathura to the other parts of Uttar Pradesh and India. National Highway 2 which joins Delhi with Howrah runs across the city. It joins with NH 3 (extending to Mumbai) and a segment of this road is known as Mathura Road. National Highway 11 which joins Agra with Bikaner and National Highway 93 joining Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh are major highways as well. Mathura is also joined by Yamuna Expressway.
By Rail
Train services from important locations in India like Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Indore, Hyderabad, Gwalior, Bhopal, Ujjain, Jabalpur, Lucknow, Rewa, Varanasi and Kanpur are available to Mathura. There are four railway stations in Mathura.
By Air
The nearest airport is located at Kheria in Agra and the distance is about 57 km. The closest international airport is the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi and the distance is 155 km.
Extra Information About this Shrine
There are some Dharamshala near Kankali Devi Temple, but it is better as a tourist or pilgrim to stay at Hotels in Mathura. Here one can easily found accommodation of convenience in various guest houses, hotels and government hostels.
