At Vindhyachal near Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh, on the bank of the Ganga where the Vindhya hills meet the plain, stands the temple of Vindhyavasini — she who dwells in the Vindhyas — one of the most revered and most ancient of Devi shrines. Tradition, drawn from the Devi Mahatmya, identifies her with the Goddess Yogamaya, born to Yashoda as the divine sister of Krishna, who slipped from Kansa's grasp and took her eternal abode upon these hills, foretelling the tyrant's doom.
Revered as a Siddha Peetha where the Mother is ever-present and ever-awake, Vindhyavasini is the heart of the sacred Vindhya Kshetra. Pilgrims perform the Trikona Parikrama, circling also to the shrines of Kali Khoh and Ashtabhuja, and throng the Goddess especially at Navaratri. Vindhyavasini is worshipped as a powerful and immediate granter of grace.
