Chotila Chamunda, Surendranagar

The Chamunda Devi temple at Chotila in Surendranagar district, Gujarat, 230 kilometres from Ahmedabad — a hilltop Chamunda (fierce Shakti) shrine on the 1,173-foot Chotila hill, visible for over 20 kilometres across the Bhal plain of central Gujarat. The hilltop reach requires a climb of 625 steps. The temple is dedicated to the goddess Chandi-Chamunda, a Shiva-paired Shakti form particularly worshipped in the Gujarat-Rajasthan borderlands. The temple's foundation is 15-century with major 18-century Peshwa-era additions. The daily hilltop puja with the ritual flag change at sunset is a major Chotila heritage practice. The annual September Navratri festival draws over 400,000 pilgrims. The temple is managed by the Chotila Devasthan Trust and the Gujarat State Devasthan Commission.