What is the sthala katha — the legend — of Renuka Devi Temple, Mahur?

High medieval · Hindu · India

Renuka Devi Temple, Mahur

माहूर

Mahur, Nanded, Maharashtra · 19.8478°, 77.9239°

Goddess Renuka (Matapur Niwasini Jagadamba)Undetermined—Maha Shakti PeethaShakti Peethadisputed

Contested attributions

This site is counted in the lists below by some sources and not others. We list the claim and the disagreement rather than silently picking a side.

Shakti Peetha — Wikipedia describes Mahur as one of the 18 Maha Shakta pithas and as a pitha 'among 108 peethas' and a member of Maharashtra's 'three and a half' peethas, and it does not appear in Wikipedia's combined Shakta pithas table (as of 2026). source

Sacred since

1000 CE

first attestation / structure

Standing structure

dating unrecorded

Undetermined

History & significance

A hill shrine to Renuka, mother of Parashurama, counted among the three-and-a-half Shakta pithas of Maharashtra; the surrounding town is also revered as the birthplace of Dattatreya.

Sthala katha — the legend

Renuka was mortally wounded by Sahasrarjuna when she refused to surrender the cow Kamadhenu, and her son Parashurama performed her last rites at Mahur, where she then manifested on the hill.

Open in Google Maps ↗Wikipedia ↗View on the atlas map