On a hilltop in the Kaimur region of Bihar stands the Mundeshwari Devi temple, revered as one of the oldest functioning Hindu temples in India, its origins reaching back many centuries to the age of the early Gupta and post-Gupta kings. Built in an unusual octagonal plan of stone, the temple enshrines the Goddess Mundeshwari together with a Shiva linga, uniting the worship of Shakti and Shiva.
Ancient, atmospheric, and set amid green hills, Mundeshwari draws pilgrims and historians alike, and is honoured as a rare living link to the earliest ages of temple worship in India. It is among the most venerable shrines of Bihar.
