Jogulamba Temple

జోగులాంబ ఆలయం

Jogulamba · with Balabrahmeshwara (Shiva)

Fierce (raudra) form, seated on a corpse

Alampur, Jogulamba Gadwal district, Telangana · Shakta tradition

The Ashtadasa Shakti Peetha stotram names Jogulamba at Alampur fifth among its eighteen seats of the Goddess.

Read the story
Directions

At the gate

Darshan hours
  • 7:00 am – 1:00 pm · Darshan (morning)
  • 2:00 pm – 8:30 pm · Darshan (afternoon)
Getting there
Train: Alampur Road railway station

Not yet confirmed: dress code, phone rules, entry for visitors of other faiths, walking distance. 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

3 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 Devi Bhagavata Purana, Book 7; the Ashtadasa Shakti Peetha stotram

Sati's body and the seats of the Goddess

Daksha receives a garland from the sage Durvasa, who had it from the Goddess herself. In the Devi Bhagavata's telling, the way Daksha treats that gift turns him against Shiva and against his own daughter Sati, Shiva's wife. At Daksha's sacrifice the enmity comes to a head, and Sati burns her body in a fire she raises by yoga, keeping her devotion to her husband intact.

Shiva's anger threatens the three worlds. Virabhadra rises from it and Daksha's sacrifice is destroyed. Shiva lifts Sati's body and wanders with it in grief, and Vishnu cuts the body to pieces with his arrows. Wherever a part falls, Shiva remains there in some form, and the place becomes a seat — a pitha — of the Goddess. Vyasa, narrating, then names the seats one after another, each with the goddess who presides there.

Alampur is not among the places in that chapter's list. Its standing as one of the eighteen great seats comes from the Ashtadasa Shakti Peetha stotram — traditionally attributed to Adi Shankara, though the attribution has not been confirmed — which names Jogulamba at Alampur fifth. Telangana Tourism and the press both count it as the fifth Shakti Peetha.

The stotram names goddess and town only. The tradition that Sati's upper teeth fell at Alampur is widely repeated but has not yet been traced to a written source. The goddess's own form here — fierce, seated on a corpse, with a scorpion, a frog and a lizard on her head — is what most visibly sets this seat apart.

Where this account comes from

  • Purana: Devi Bhagavata Purana, Book 7, Chapter 30, vv. 26–102 (Swami Vijñanananda tr., 1921) wisdomlib.org
  • Hymn: Aṣṭādaśa Śakti Pīṭha Stotram, vv. 1–5a, beginning Laṅkāyāṃ Śāṅkarī devī. Traditionally attributed to Adi Shankara; the attribution is unverified. No critical edition or verse numbering was found. hindupedia.com · seen 2026-10-09
  • Government: Telangana Tourism (Government of Telangana), "Alampur Jogulamba Temple", Divine Destinations — Mahabubnagar telanganatourism.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09
  • Press: The Hans India, K. Chandrashekar, "Jogulamba temple gets Centre's 'Prasad'", 27 August 2019 thehansindia.com · seen 2026-10-09
Told in: Local tradition as published by Telangana Tourism

Brahma's penance and the name Brahmeswara

Telangana Tourism records that Brahma performed a long penance at Alampur and was blessed by Shiva with the power of creation, which is why Shiva here is called Brahmeswara — the name carried by the Bala Brahma shrine and the nine Navabrahma temples. The goddess's name is explained separately, from the Telugu 'Yogula Amma', mother of yogis, for her fierce form that grants yogic powers.

Read this account

Alampur's Shiva shrines carry Brahma's name, and the local account explains why. Brahma, the creator, comes to this place on the Tungabhadra and performs a long penance. Shiva is pleased and blesses him with the power to create. From that episode the god here takes the name Brahmeswara — the lord worshipped by Brahma — and the principal shrine of the complex is that of Balabrahmeshwara, worshipped together with Jogulamba.

The goddess has her own explanation. Telangana Tourism derives Jogulamba from the Telugu 'Yogula Amma', the mother of yogis. Her form is fierce: she is shown naked, with her tongue extended, seated on a corpse, and with a scorpion, a frog and a lizard on her head. That fierce aspect, in the published account, is the one held to grant siddhis to practitioners of yoga.

The setting adds a third name. Because the Tungabhadra meets the Krishna close by, Telangana Tourism calls the town Dakshina Kailasam; the Deccan Chronicle's 2026 report on the ASI restoration calls it Dakshina Kasi.

This account is a local tradition published by the state tourism department. No Purana chapter has been traced for it.

Where this account comes from

  • Government: Telangana Tourism (Government of Telangana), "Alampur Jogulamba Temple", Divine Destinations — Mahabubnagar telanganatourism.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09
  • Government: Telangana Tourism (Government of Telangana), "Divine Splendour of the Goddess", blog, 28 February 2020 telanganatourism.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09
  • Press: Deccan Chronicle, "Telangana: Alampur's Historic Nava Brahma Temples to Undergo Major Restoration Work", 12 July 2026 deccanchronicle.com · seen 2026-10-09
Told in: Local tradition as published by Telangana Tourism, citing the Siddha Rasarnavam

Rasa Siddha and the nine Brahmas

Local tradition credits a 6th-century adept, Rasa Siddha, with turning base metals into gold and with helping the Chalukya king Pulakeshin II build the Navabrahma temples; the nine names of Shiva there are read as the names of medicinal herbs. A tantric text, the Siddha Rasarnavam, is cited as saying that mercury flows from four points at Alampur under the right worship — one of them the mouth of Jogulamba.

Read this account

The Navabrahma temples are nine shrines to Shiva, each with a Brahma name. Telangana Tourism's account of how they came to be built centres on a man rather than a god.

In the 6th century, the tradition says, there lived a saint called Rasa Siddha who could turn base metals into gold. He was close to the Chalukya king Pulakeshin II, and he helped build the temples that came to be called the Nava Brahmas. The nine names of Shiva given to the temples, in this account, are the names of medicinal herbs that Rasa Siddha identified.

The published list names seven of the nine: Swarga Brahma, Padma Brahma, Vishva Brahma, Arka Brahma, Bala Brahma, Garuda Brahma and Taraka Brahma.

The tradition draws on a tantric text, the Siddha Rasarnavam. According to the tourism department's summary, it says that when worship follows the prescribed tantra, mercury flows from four places at Alampur: the linga of Bala Brahma, the thighs of Subrahmanya, the navel of Ganapati and the mouth of Jogulamba — and that with the right herbs this mercury can be turned to gold.

The story ties the goddess's shrine to the alchemical reputation of the whole site, and to the Chalukya building that the surviving temples show. The architectural dating of the group to the 7th–8th centuries comes from separate sources; the Rasa Siddha episode itself is tradition, not history.

Where this account comes from

  • Government: Telangana Tourism (Government of Telangana), "Alampur Jogulamba Temple", Divine Destinations — Mahabubnagar telanganatourism.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09

In one minute

Why Jogulamba Temple matters

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

  1. The Ashtadasa Shakti Peetha stotram names Jogulamba at Alampur fifth among its eighteen seats of the Goddess.

    3 sources for: The Ashtadasa Shakti Peetha stotram names Jogulamba at Alampur fifth among its e
    • Hymn: Aṣṭādaśa Śakti Pīṭha Stotram, vv. 1–5a, beginning Laṅkāyāṃ Śāṅkarī devī. Traditionally attributed to Adi Shankara; the attribution is unverified. No critical edition or verse numbering was found. hindupedia.com · seen 2026-10-09
    • Government: Telangana Tourism (Government of Telangana), "Alampur Jogulamba Temple", Divine Destinations — Mahabubnagar telanganatourism.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09
    • Press: The Hans India, K. Chandrashekar, "Jogulamba temple gets Centre's 'Prasad'", 27 August 2019 thehansindia.com · seen 2026-10-09

  2. The goddess is worshipped in a fierce form, seated on a corpse with a scorpion, a frog and a lizard on her head.

    2 sources for: The goddess is worshipped in a fierce form, seated on a corpse with a scorpion,
    • Government: Telangana Tourism (Government of Telangana), "Alampur Jogulamba Temple", Divine Destinations — Mahabubnagar telanganatourism.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09
    • Government: Telangana Tourism (Government of Telangana), "Divine Splendour of the Goddess", blog, 28 February 2020 telanganatourism.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09

  3. The temple stands among the Navabrahma temples, an ASI-protected group of Badami Chalukya shrines dated to the 7th–8th centuries.

    3 sources for: The temple stands among the Navabrahma temples, an ASI-protected group of Badami
    • Government: Telangana Tourism (Government of Telangana), "Divine Splendour of the Goddess", blog, 28 February 2020 telanganatourism.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09
    • Government: Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, Rural Tourism portal, "Alampur" rural.tourism.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09
    • Press: Deccan Chronicle, "Telangana: Alampur's Historic Nava Brahma Temples to Undergo Major Restoration Work", 12 July 2026 deccanchronicle.com · seen 2026-10-09

  4. Alampur lies on the Tungabhadra near its confluence with the Krishna and is called the western gateway to Srisailam.

    3 sources for: Alampur lies on the Tungabhadra near its confluence with the Krishna and is call
    • Government: Telangana Tourism (Government of Telangana), "Alampur Jogulamba Temple", Divine Destinations — Mahabubnagar telanganatourism.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09
    • Press: The Hans India, K. Chandrashekar, "Jogulamba temple gets Centre's 'Prasad'", 27 August 2019 thehansindia.com · seen 2026-10-09
    • Government: Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, Rural Tourism portal, "Alampur" rural.tourism.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09

Shilpa

When you visit, look for…

Badami Chalukya

The Badami Chalukya attribution belongs to the Navabrahma group and the older remains of the complex. Secondary accounts report that the goddess's shrine was destroyed in the late 14th century and rebuilt on its old site in 2005; we have not yet found a reliable source for either date, so the present shrine's own fabric is not described here.

  • Tower over the sanctum

    The Navabrahma temples

    The nine Shiva shrines of the Badami Chalukya period, each named for a Brahma — Swarga, Padma, Vishva, Arka, Bala, Garuda, Taraka among them.

    7th–8th century CE

  • Sanctum

    Bala Brahma temple

    The shrine of Balabrahmeshwara, worshipped with Jogulamba as the presiding pair of the complex.

  • Sanctum

    Jogulamba's image

    The goddess seated on a corpse, with a scorpion, a frog and a lizard on her head.

  • Detail

    Alampur Site Museum

    Sculpture from the 6th to the 16th century, of the Chalukya, Kakatiya and Vijayanagara periods; the museum was set up in 1952.

  • Detail

    Sangameshwara temple

    A temple moved to Alampur after the Srisailam dam backwaters submerged its original site.

Yatra

Plan your visit

Darshan times

Darshan (morning)7:00 am – 1:00 pm
Darshan (afternoon)2:00 pm – 8:30 pm

Confirm on the day. Times change on festival days and without notice. These times are not from the temple’s own notice.

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

We have not yet confirmed how much walking or climbing is involved, or whether there is wheelchair access. If you are travelling with elders, ask at the temple office or the devasthanam enquiry counter before you set out.

Getting there

  • By train: Alampur Road railway station · about 9 km
  • By road: HyderabadVia a diversion off the Hyderabad–Bengaluru highway. Telangana Tourism gives the distance as 210 km on one page and 220 km on another.
  • By road: Gadwal · about 60 kmDistrict headquarters.
  • By road: Mahabubnagar · about 115 km

PIN 509152 (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

  • Sharan Navaratri

    Sep–Oct · Ashvina, Shukla paksha · 9 days

    The goddess's principal festival.

  • Krishna Pushkaralu

    Once every twelve years

    The twelve-yearly river festival for which new bathing ghats were built at Alampur.

Customs you will see here

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. Brahma's penance at Alampur

    Local tradition, as published by Telangana Tourism, explains the name Brahmeswara from Brahma's penance here. No yuga is given.

    Source for: Brahma's penance at Alampur
    • Government: Telangana Tourism (Government of Telangana), "Alampur Jogulamba Temple", Divine Destinations — Mahabubnagar telanganatourism.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09

In the historical record

  1. c. 600–799

    Navabrahma temples built under the Badami Chalukyas

    Telangana Tourism dates the Navabrahma and Jogulamba temples to the 7th–8th centuries; the Ministry of Tourism dates the Navabrahma group to the 7th century.

    2 sources for: Navabrahma temples built under the Badami Chalukyas
    • Government: Telangana Tourism (Government of Telangana), "Divine Splendour of the Goddess", blog, 28 February 2020 telanganatourism.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09
    • Government: Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, Rural Tourism portal, "Alampur" rural.tourism.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09

  2. 1952

    Alampur Site Museum established

    The site museum holding sculpture of the 6th–16th centuries was set up in 1952.

    Source for: Alampur Site Museum established
    • Government: Telangana Tourism (Government of Telangana), "Divine Splendour of the Goddess", blog, 28 February 2020 telanganatourism.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09

  3. 2019

    Included in the PRASAD scheme

    The Union Ministry of Tourism included the temple in its PRASAD pilgrimage scheme, with works planned for parking, ghats and visitor facilities.

    Source for: Included in the PRASAD scheme
    • Press: The Hans India, K. Chandrashekar, "Jogulamba temple gets Centre's 'Prasad'", 27 August 2019 thehansindia.com · seen 2026-10-09

  4. 2026

    Navabrahma conservation announced

    Conservation of the ASI-protected Navabrahma temples, including traditional roof waterproofing, was announced under the supervision of the ASI Hyderabad circle's superintending archaeologist.

    Source for: Navabrahma conservation announced
    • Press: Deccan Chronicle, "Telangana: Alampur's Historic Nava Brahma Temples to Undergo Major Restoration Work", 12 July 2026 deccanchronicle.com · seen 2026-10-09

Around here

Worth the detour

  • Temple

    Bhramaramba Temple, Srisailam

    Alampur is called the western gateway to Srisailam, the next seat in the stotram's order.

  • Temple

    Mallikarjuna Temple, Srisailam

    Jyotirlinga shrine in the same Srisailam complex.

  • Museum

    Alampur Site Museum

    Sculpture from the Alampur temples, 6th–16th century.

  • Ghat

    Tungabhadra–Krishna confluence

    The confluence that gives Alampur the name Dakshina Kailasam.

Sources

Where this page comes from

  • Hymn: Aṣṭādaśa Śakti Pīṭha Stotram, vv. 1–5a, beginning Laṅkāyāṃ Śāṅkarī devī. Traditionally attributed to Adi Shankara; the attribution is unverified. No critical edition or verse numbering was found. hindupedia.com · seen 2026-10-09
  • Purana: Devi Bhagavata Purana, Book 7, Chapter 30, vv. 26–102 (Swami Vijñanananda tr., 1921) wisdomlib.org
  • Government: Telangana Tourism (Government of Telangana), "Alampur Jogulamba Temple", Divine Destinations — Mahabubnagar telanganatourism.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09
  • Government: Telangana Tourism (Government of Telangana), "Divine Splendour of the Goddess", blog, 28 February 2020 telanganatourism.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09
  • Government: Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, Rural Tourism portal, "Alampur" rural.tourism.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09
  • Press: The Hans India, K. Chandrashekar, "Jogulamba temple gets Centre's 'Prasad'", 27 August 2019 thehansindia.com · seen 2026-10-09
  • Press: Deccan Chronicle, "Telangana: Alampur's Historic Nava Brahma Temples to Undergo Major Restoration Work", 12 July 2026 deccanchronicle.com · seen 2026-10-09
Corrections made to this page (1)
  • 2026-10-09: changed “traditional” to “canonical”. A dated modern event reported by a dated documentary source; "traditional" presented it as folklore. No source disputes it.

Cite this page

Aalaya Katha Foundation, “Jogulamba Temple”, Aalaya Katha, version last reviewed 2026-10-09. https://www.aalayakatha.com/temple/jogulamba-alampur (accessed ).

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