Tirtha Atlas

The sacred geography of the Indic world — every site mapped, dated, storied, and cited.

3031 sites15 countries4 traditions30 centuries
High medieval · Hindu · India

Vardayini Mata Temple

Rupal, Gandhinagar district, Gujarat · 23.3100°, 72.5969°

Vardayini MataUndetermined
Sacred since
1000 CE
first attestation / structure
Standing structure
dating unrecorded
Undetermined

History & significance

The goddess temple of Rupal village near Gandhinagar, known across Gujarat for its Palli festival on the ninth night of Navratri, when a rath of khijada wood carrying fire at five points is drawn to twenty-seven halts through the village and devotees pour ghee over it.

Sthala katha — the traditional account

What follows is the temple’s own traditional account, transmitted through liturgy and local memory. It is recorded here as tradition, not as attested history.

Villagers hold that the Palli was begun by the Pandavas in the age of the Mahabharata.

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Sources

coordinates: wikipedia-2026-08-28 · sources retrieved 2026-08-26 · dynasty page: Undetermined