Jeen Mata, Sikar district

The 11-century Shakta hilltop temple of Jeen Mata at Jeenmata village in Sikar district, Rajasthan, 97 kilometres from Jaipur — the kuladevi (clan goddess) of the Shekhawat Rajput clan. The temple is dedicated to Jeen Mata (a form of Durga), reached by a hill climb of 300 steps and the surrounding Jeen Mata Reserve Forest. The current temple structure is 11-century Chauhan-era with major 1947 and 1971 renovations under the Shekhawat Rajput community. The temple is one of the four principal Shakta pithas of Rajasthan (with Karni Mata, Rani Sati and Shila Devi). The annual Chaitra Navratri (March-April) and Ashwin Navratri (September-October) festivals draw over 200,000 Shekhawat Rajput pilgrims. The Jeen Mata temple's distinct Shekhawati style of painted murals and door-architecture is preserved under the Rajasthan state heritage listing.