Purnagiri Temple

Perched high atop a steep mountain ridge at an altitude of 914 meters (3,000 feet) on the right bank of the Kali Sharda River in Champawat district, Purnagiri Temple (Maa Purnagiri Dham) is one of the 108 supreme Shakti Peethas in Uttarakhand. Located approximately 20 kilometers north of the railhead of Tanakpur along the international border of India and Nepal, the sacred shrine marks the spot where the navel (Nabhi) of Goddess Sati fell during Lord Shiva's celestial dance of cosmic destruction (Tandava).

The sanctum sanctorum houses no stone idol; instead, a sacred natural rock formation (Pindi) is worshipped under a brass canopy draped in red silk chunris. Devotees tie colored sacred threads, bells, and handwritten petitions to the temple railings, firmly believing that Maa Purnagiri fulfills all earnest desires (Manokamna).

The pilgrimage involves a scenic 3 kilometer uphill paved stone staircase starting from the motor roadhead at Thuligad (Bhairav Ghati). The summit delivers striking panoramas of the meandering Sharda River valley, the green plains of the Terai, and the distant hills of western Nepal.