Ambadevi Temple

The Ambadevi Temple in the city of Amravati, in the Vidarbha region, is among the best-known temples in Maharashtra. It is dedicated to Ambadevi, a form of Durga, and the city's name is believed to come from the goddess. Records from 1097 and inscriptions beneath the images point to its age.

In legend, Rukmini, daughter of King Bhishmak of Vidarbha, was promised by her brother Rukmiya to Shishupal of Chedi but wished to marry Krishna. She wrote to him, and when she came here to worship the goddess Ekvira, Krishna carried her off. Local wedding songs still recall the tale.

High walls surround the complex, with a drum house (nagarkhana) over the gate. The black-stone image shows the goddess seated in meditation, and the domed hall mixes Dravidian and later Islamic features. South of the temple, a bridge of 1948 crosses a stream to the Ekviradevi Temple.