High medieval · Hindu · India

Narmada Temple, Amarkantak (Shondesh Shakti Pitha)

Amarkantak, source of the Narmada, Madhya Pradesh · 22.8220°, 81.7532°

Narmada, goddess of the riverKalachuri of Tripuri—Shakti Peetha

Sacred since

1100 CE

first attestation / structure

Standing structure

12th c. (Kalachuri); renovated by Ahilyabai Holkar

Kalachuri of Tripuri

History & significance

The principal temple of Amarkantak, standing at the source of the Narmada, built by the Kalachuris of Tripuri in the 12th century and later renovated by Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar. Amarkantak, where three major rivers rise, is described in Hindu scripture as the king of pilgrimages.

Sthala katha — the legend

Adi Shankaracharya is said to have settled the dispute over the river's true source by declaring the stream at the temple to be the Narmada's mainstream.

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