Kaila Devi, Karauli

The hilltop Shakti temple of Kaila Devi at Karauli in Rajasthan, 160 kilometres from Jaipur — the kuladevi (clan goddess) of the Jadaun Rajput clan of Karauli (said to descend from Krishna's Yadava lineage). The temple on the Kailash hill overlooking the Kalisil river is one of the principal Shakta shrines of Rajasthan. The deity Kaila Devi is a Durga-Mahalakshmi composite goddess. The massive annual Chaitra Navratri fair (March-April) is one of Rajasthan's largest, drawing over 2 million pilgrims across 15 days and generating a 20-kilometre tent-and-camping settlement along the Karauli-Kailash road. The temple's foundation is traditional 11-12th century; the current marble structure was commissioned by Maharaja Bhanwar Pal of Karauli in 1770. The adjacent 15-century Timangarh Fort was the Jadaun royal citadel.