Photographer Praveen Singh Bisht · File:Maa Naina Devi Temple, Mallital, Nainital, Uttarakhand, India.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Maa_Naina_Devi_Temple,_Mallital,_Nainital,_Uttarakhand,_India.jpg
Naina Devi Temple
One of the Shakti Peethas, on the northern shore of the lake — where Sati’s eyes are held to have fallen, which is what gives both the goddess and the town their name.
Where the eyes fell
Naina Devi stands on the northern shore of Naini Lake and is one of the fifty-one Shakti Peethas — the sites where parts of Sati’s body are held to have fallen as Shiva carried her across the world. Here it was her eyes, and the word for them, naina, is where the goddess, the lake and the town all get their name. The temple was destroyed in the landslide of 18 September 1880, which killed 151 people and also took the Victoria Hotel and the Assembly Rooms; the ground it buried became the open space the town still calls the Flats. It was re-established in 1883 on the shore, and all five Kumaon itineraries name it.
Explore Naina Devi Temple on the map
City locations, drawn from our published destination data. Attractions, hotels and restaurants are not mapped yet.
What is inside
A small, busy, working temple rather than a monument.
The shrine
- The goddess is represented by two eyes rather than a full figure
- Shrines to Ganesha and Hanuman stand alongside the main one
- It is in constant use from first light rather than open for visits
The setting
- Directly on the northern shore, with the water on one side and the hill behind
- The Flats — the open ground the 1880 landslide created — lie immediately beside it
What happened in 1880
- A landslide on 18 September buried 151 people
- It destroyed the Victoria Hotel, the Assembly Rooms and this temple
- The temple was re-established on the shore in 1883
Getting there
On the lakeside, which makes it the easiest thing in Nainital to reach.
On foot
- On the northern shore, at the Mall end of the lake
- Walkable from almost anywhere in the town centre
In the day
- Every Kumaon itinerary pairs it with Snow View on the same morning
- It sits between the ropeway station and the lakeside promenade
When to go
A living temple keeps its own hours and its own crowds.
Time of day
- It is busy from first light — several itineraries say exactly that
- Early morning is both the fullest and, for many, the point
Through the year
- Navratri brings very large numbers to a small shrine
- Timings and access are set by the temple rather than published centrally, so confirm locally
Worth knowing
Short, crowded, and better with the context than without it.
Making the visit work
- Half an hour is enough unless you have come for a particular observance
- It is a pilgrimage site first and a sight second — the queue is the normal condition
Etiquette
- Remove footwear and follow the temple’s own instructions on photography
- Dress as you would for any active place of worship
Close by
Everything here is within a walk of the shore.
Frequently asked
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