Renuka Devi Temple, Mahur

श्री रेणुका देवी मंदिर, माहूर

Renuka · Renuka Mata

Swayambhu image of which only the head is visible above the ground

Mahur, Nanded district, Maharashtra · Shakta tradition

The Ashtadasha Shakti Peetha Stotram names 'Ekavirika at Mahur' eighth among its eighteen seats of the goddess.

The story begins: “The story behind Mahur begins in the Mahabharata.”

Read the story
Directions

At the gate

Walking and access
The hilltop shrines are reached by stone steps — roughly 200–250 according to Outlook Traveller. We know of no ropeway or step-free route.
Getting there
Train: Kinwat railway stationAir: Nanded Airport

Not yet confirmed: darshan hours, dress code, phone rules, entry for visitors of other faiths. Ask at the temple office or enquiry counter — and if you know, tell us. hello@aalayakatha.com

Full visiting details

Sthala purana

The story of this place

2 accounts are recorded. Each is told separately, in the words of its own tradition — they are never merged.

Family note: this story includes violence or death.
Told in: The Mahabharata, Vana Parva 116 (the beheading and restoration of Renuka); local tradition at Mahur as reported by Outlook Traveller (the head falling here)

Renuka's head at Mahur

The story behind Mahur begins in the Mahabharata. In the Vana Parva, Renuka, the wife of the sage Jamadagni, goes to bathe. On her way back she sees Chitraratha, king of Martikavata, playing in the water with his wives and wearing a garland of lotuses. She is overcome by desire and returns to the hermitage shaken. Jamadagni sees her state and rebukes her.

He calls his sons one after another — Rumanvan, Sushena, Vasu and Vishvavasu — and orders each of them to kill their mother. None of them can bring himself even to answer. Jamadagni curses them, and they lose their senses and live like beasts and birds. Then the youngest, Rama, the one later called Parashurama, comes in and receives the same order. He takes up an axe and cuts off his mother's head.

Pleased with his obedience, Jamadagni offers him whatever he wishes. Rama asks that his mother be restored to life; that he should not remember the deed or be stained by it; that his brothers recover their former state; that he be unrivalled in battle; and that he live long. The text says that every one of these was granted.

The Mahabharata does not name Mahur. The local tradition, as Outlook Traveller reports it, places the episode here: Mahur is held to be the place where Renuka's head fell after Parashurama struck it off. That is what the sanctum shows. The image is swayambhu, self-manifested, and only the goddess's head is visible above the ground.

The hill town gathers the wider family of the story around her. On the highest of Mahur's hills a shrine is held to mark the birthplace of Dattatreya, and unlike shrines that worship his footprints it holds a full image of him. Another hill carries a shrine to Anasuya, Dattatreya's mother and the wife of the sage Atri; Outlook Traveller reports that families come to her to ask for harmony at home.

The episode explains the form of the goddess a visitor meets at Mahur: a head, not a full figure.

Where this account comes from

  • Itihasa: Mahabharata, Vana Parva, section 116, English translation (K. M. Ganguli) at sacred-texts.com sacred-texts.com
  • Press: Outlook Traveller, Tenzin Chodon, 'Mahurgad: Maharashtra's Sacred Hill Town Of Shakti, Datta, And Living Heritage', 30 January 2026 outlooktraveller.com · seen 2026-10-09
Told in: The Devi Bhagavata Purana, Book 7 (the Sati frame), and the Ashtadasha Shakti Peetha Stotram (the name Ekavirika at Mahur)

Ekavirika in the list of eighteen

The Shakti Peethas share one frame: in the Devi Bhagavata Purana, Sati gives up her body after Daksha insults Shiva, Shiva carries it across the land, and Vishnu cuts it apart; each place where a part falls becomes a seat of the goddess. The Ashtadasha Shakti Peetha Stotram names eighteen such seats, and its eighth is 'Ekavirika at Mahur'. The stotram gives a name and a place, not a story, and the identification of its Ekaveera with the Renuka temple is disputed.

Read this account

Mahur's place among the Shakti Peethas rests on a different, shorter text than its Renuka story.

The frame is shared by every Shakti Peetha. In the Devi Bhagavata Purana, Sati, the daughter of Daksha, is married to Shiva. Daksha later insults Shiva, and Sati resolves to give up the body born of Daksha; she burns it in a fire that rises out of yoga. Shiva destroys Daksha's sacrifice. He then lifts Sati's body onto his neck and wanders from country to country, until Vishnu cuts the body to pieces with his arrows. Wherever a part falls, Shiva remains there in another form, and the place becomes a seat of the goddess.

The Ashtadasha Shakti Peetha Stotram names eighteen of those seats in a fixed order. Its fourth line pairs two Maharashtra seats: "Kolhapure Mahalakshmi, Mahurye Ekavirika" — Mahalakshmi at Kolhapur, and Ekavirika, Ekaveera, at Mahur. The stotram is traditionally attributed to Adi Shankara; no scholarly source confirming that attribution has been found.

The stotram gives only a name and a place. It does not say which part of Sati's body fell at Mahur, and it does not mention Renuka. The Maharashtra Department of Tourism describes the Renuka Devi temple at Mahur as one of the significant Shakti Peethas, and that is the identification followed here. Others identify the stotram's Ekaveera with other sites, so Mahur's place in the list is disputed rather than settled.

What the list explains is why a shrine whose own story comes from the Mahabharata's Renuka episode is also counted in a Sati-frame circuit: the stotram's name for the seat is Ekaveera, and at Mahur that goddess is worshipped as Renuka.

Where this account comes from

  • Purana: Devi Bhagavata Purana, Book 7, ch. 30, vv. 26–50, tr. Swami Vijnanananda sacred-texts.com
  • Hymn: Aṣṭādaśa Śakti Pīṭha Stotram, line 'Kolhāpure Mahālakṣmī, Māhurye Ekavīrikā'. Traditionally attributed to Adi Shankara; that attribution is unverified. hindupedia.com · seen 2026-10-09
  • Government: Department of Tourism, Maharashtra, 'Mahur' maharashtratourism.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09

In one minute

Why Renuka Devi Temple, Mahur matters

Each line says who it comes from and how settled it is. What the labels mean

  1. The Ashtadasha Shakti Peetha Stotram names 'Ekavirika at Mahur' eighth among its eighteen seats of the goddess.

    Source for: The Ashtadasha Shakti Peetha Stotram names 'Ekavirika at Mahur' eighth among its
    • Hymn: Aṣṭādaśa Śakti Pīṭha Stotram, line 'Kolhāpure Mahālakṣmī, Māhurye Ekavīrikā'. Traditionally attributed to Adi Shankara; that attribution is unverified. hindupedia.com · seen 2026-10-09

  2. Local tradition holds that Mahur is where the head of Renuka fell after her son Parashurama beheaded her on his father's order.

    Source for: Local tradition holds that Mahur is where the head of Renuka fell after her son
    • Press: Outlook Traveller, Tenzin Chodon, 'Mahurgad: Maharashtra's Sacred Hill Town Of Shakti, Datta, And Living Heritage', 30 January 2026 outlooktraveller.com · seen 2026-10-09

  3. The goddess is a swayambhu image: her head alone shows above the ground.

    Source for: The goddess is a swayambhu image: her head alone shows above the ground.
    • Press: Outlook Traveller, Tenzin Chodon, 'Mahurgad: Maharashtra's Sacred Hill Town Of Shakti, Datta, And Living Heritage', 30 January 2026 outlooktraveller.com · seen 2026-10-09

  4. Mahur's hills also carry a shrine held to mark the birthplace of Dattatreya and a shrine to his mother Anasuya, making the town a centre of the Datta tradition as well as of Shakti worship.

    Source for: Mahur's hills also carry a shrine held to mark the birthplace of Dattatreya and
    • Press: Outlook Traveller, Tenzin Chodon, 'Mahurgad: Maharashtra's Sacred Hill Town Of Shakti, Datta, And Living Heritage', 30 January 2026 outlooktraveller.com · seen 2026-10-09

Shilpa

When you visit, look for…

Architectural style not yet identified

No architectural survey or official description of the temple's style was found.

  • Sanctum

    The goddess as a head

    The swayambhu image in the sanctum, of which only the goddess's head is visible above the ground (Outlook Traveller).

  • Detail

    Datta Shikhar

    The shrine on the highest of Mahur's hills, held to mark Dattatreya's birthplace; it holds a full image of Dattatreya rather than the footprints worshipped at many Datta shrines (Outlook Traveller).

  • Detail

    Atri–Anasuya Shikhar

    The shrine to Anasuya, Dattatreya's mother and wife of the sage Atri, on its own hill (Outlook Traveller).

  • Detail

    The stone stairways

    The stone steps that climb to the hilltop shrines; Outlook Traveller puts them at roughly 200–250.

Yatra

Plan your visit

Darshan times

We could not confirm the opening times from the temple’s own notice, so we are not printing any. Please check with the temple office or the devasthanam before you travel.

Before you go

  • No dress code or entry rules have been confirmed for this temple yet. Traditional, modest clothing is always the safe choice; ask at the entrance.

Walking, steps and access

Wheelchair: not wheelchair accessible

The hilltop shrines are reached by stone steps — roughly 200–250 according to Outlook Traveller. We know of no ropeway or step-free route.

Getting there

  • By air: Nanded Airport · about 130 kmTaxis and buses run from Nanded to Mahur (Outlook Traveller).
  • By train: Kinwat railway station · about 50 kmTaxis or state buses continue to Mahur.
  • By road: Nanded, Yavatmal or NagpurOutlook Traveller gives NH161 and SH224 among the road routes.

Routes are general guidance and not yet checked against an official source.

PIN 431721 (not yet checked with India Post)

The order of darshan

No published source gives the order in which to visit the shrines here, so we have not invented one. Follow the queue and the temple staff.

Festivals

  • Navaratri and Dasara

    Sep–Oct · Ashvina, Shukla paksha

    Outlook Traveller names Dasara as one of the two busiest and most festive times at Mahur.

  • Chaitra Navaratri

    Mar–Apr · Chaitra, Shukla paksha

    The spring Navaratri, which Outlook Traveller names alongside Dasara as Mahur's most festive season.

  • Datta Jayanti

    An important occasion for Dattatreya's devotees at the Datta Shikhar shrine.

Itihasa

Through time

Two registers, kept apart on purpose: what the Puranas tell, and what the historical record shows. They answer different questions and we do not force them to agree.

In the Puranas and tradition

  1. Renuka beheaded and restored

    The Mahabharata's account of Jamadagni's order and Parashurama's act. Local tradition places the fall of Renuka's head at Mahur; the epic itself does not name the place. The passage does not say in which yuga this happened.

    2 sources for: Renuka beheaded and restored
    • Itihasa: Mahabharata, Vana Parva, section 116, English translation (K. M. Ganguli) at sacred-texts.com sacred-texts.com
    • Press: Outlook Traveller, Tenzin Chodon, 'Mahurgad: Maharashtra's Sacred Hill Town Of Shakti, Datta, And Living Heritage', 30 January 2026 outlooktraveller.com · seen 2026-10-09

  2. Named as Ekavirika in the Ashtadasha Shakti Peetha Stotram

    The stotram lists Mahur eighth of its eighteen seats. Its date and authorship are not established; the attribution to Adi Shankara is traditional.

    Source for: Named as Ekavirika in the Ashtadasha Shakti Peetha Stotram
    • Hymn: Aṣṭādaśa Śakti Pīṭha Stotram, line 'Kolhāpure Mahālakṣmī, Māhurye Ekavīrikā'. Traditionally attributed to Adi Shankara; that attribution is unverified. hindupedia.com · seen 2026-10-09

In the historical record

  1. c. 1100–1199

    Mahur fort

    Outlook Traveller describes Mahurgad fort as a 12th-century hill fort later held by the Gond kings, the Bahmanis, the Mughals and the Marathas.

    Source for: Mahur fort
    • Press: Outlook Traveller, Tenzin Chodon, 'Mahurgad: Maharashtra's Sacred Hill Town Of Shakti, Datta, And Living Heritage', 30 January 2026 outlooktraveller.com · seen 2026-10-09

  2. c. 1200–1299

    Renuka temple built under the Yadavas of Devagiri

    Outlook Traveller dates the Renuka Devi temple to the 13th century and attributes it to the Yadavas of Devagiri. No inscription or survey confirming this has been found yet.

    Source for: Renuka temple built under the Yadavas of Devagiri
    • Press: Outlook Traveller, Tenzin Chodon, 'Mahurgad: Maharashtra's Sacred Hill Town Of Shakti, Datta, And Living Heritage', 30 January 2026 outlooktraveller.com · seen 2026-10-09

Around here

Worth the detour

  • Fort

    Mahurgad Fort

    A 12th-century hill fort with the Hathi Darwaja (Elephant Gate), a Mahakali temple and the remains of the Chini Mahal (Outlook Traveller).

  • Temple

    Datta Shikhar

    Hilltop shrine held to mark Dattatreya's birthplace, with a full image of the deity.

  • Temple

    Atri–Anasuya Shikhar

    Shrine to Anasuya, mother of Dattatreya, on the third of Mahur's hills.

Sources

Where this page comes from

  • Itihasa: Mahabharata, Vana Parva, section 116, English translation (K. M. Ganguli) at sacred-texts.com sacred-texts.com
  • Purana: Devi Bhagavata Purana, Book 7, ch. 30, tr. Swami Vijnanananda sacred-texts.com
  • Hymn: Aṣṭādaśa Śakti Pīṭha Stotram, tr. P. R. Ramachander. Traditionally attributed to Adi Shankara; that attribution is unverified. hindupedia.com · seen 2026-10-09
  • Government: Department of Tourism, Maharashtra, 'Mahur' maharashtratourism.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09
  • Press: Outlook Traveller, Tenzin Chodon, 'Mahurgad: Maharashtra's Sacred Hill Town Of Shakti, Datta, And Living Heritage', 30 January 2026 outlooktraveller.com · seen 2026-10-09

Cite this page

Aalaya Katha Foundation, “Renuka Devi Temple, Mahur”, Aalaya Katha, version last reviewed 2026-10-09. https://www.aalayakatha.com/temple/ekaveera-mahur (accessed ).

Last reviewed 2026-10-09. How we label sources and confidence