Kaila Devi Temple

On the bank of the Kalisil river in Kailadevi village, Karauli district, the Kaila Devi Temple honors the goddess Kaila Devi – worshipped here as a form of Mahalakshmi and as Mahayogini, and also known locally as Kaileshwari – alongside a second enshrined image of Chamunda Devi within the same marble sanctum. According to temple history, Maharaja Gopal Singh Ji laid the foundation of the present structure in 1723, with construction completed in 1730, giving the current building a documented eighteenth-century origin even where the site’s earlier devotional history is less precisely dated.

The temple complex, built around a large courtyard with a checkered marble floor, has been expanded over time with administrative blocks, staff quarters, an Annapurna canteen, and several dharamshalas to accommodate pilgrims. Its largest gathering by far is the fortnight-long Kaila Devi fair each Chaitra (March/April), which draws large crowds from across the Karauli region and beyond despite the area’s hot summer climate, reaching temperatures of around 47°C. Gangapur City, about 34 km away, has the nearest railway station, with additional road access from Karauli and Hindaun City.