Credit: Manjul Sharma
One of the 108 Shakti Peeths, Kalimath, is a famous Shaktipeeth that is located on the banks of the river Mandakini. Guptakashi , a famous town, is at a distance of 9 km from the temple.
Kalimath temple, made of wood and iron, is dedicated to different deities: Mahalakshmi, Gauri-Shankar, Mahasarswati, Mahadevi, and Bhairav.
When gods are defeated in a battle against demons, they request that sages invoke Kali. On the request, Kali confronted and destroyed the demons Mahishasur,
Raktabeej and Nakanel. The place where Kali emerged and was destroyed is believed to be where Shaktipeeth is now. It is believed that the temple was constructed by devotees later.
In purana, the place is mentioned as Kalikshetra. Kalidasa , a famous poet, traveled to the place to complain about his wife. But he couldn’t properly name her “Vidyottama” and instead said ‘Viddha’ (knowledge). In response , the goddess made her the greatest poet of the time.