Manglā Gaurī, Gayā

The Mahashakti Pitha on the Mangala-gauri hill above the Phalgu river at Gaya, Bihar, counted among the eighteen Maha Shakta Pithas as the site where Sati's breast fell. The hilltop temple is reached by 108 steps and is one of the few Pithas that stands within a major pre-Buddhist tirtha ground — Gaya is the premier North Indian centre for Pind Daan ancestor rites. The goddess Mangala Gauri as the breast of Sati and the ancestor-ritual deity share one landscape: pilgrims visiting Gaya for shraddha also visit Mangala Gauri as part of the Gaya tirtha circuit. The temple's foundation is traced to 15th-century Pala-period patronage.