LET ME take you on a tour to Mundeshwari Temple. Very few people know this name and even fewer visit this place as a tourist destination. Most people who come here are devotees of the goddess. When I first visited the temple complex in 1993 it was a totally different scene than it is today.

Last week I visited this temple. It is 22 kilometres from the GT Road that links Varanasi to Gaya. From Mohania, it is 60 kilometres from Varanasi, and one has to turn towards the right entering through the Mundeshwari Gate. Compared to the general impression about the much-cursed roads of Bihar the roads are better. After driving a 22 kolimetre stretch along rural areas on reaching the foot of the hill there is a guest house of the Bihar government and a good number of prasad shops.

Your four-wheeler can reach the hilltop if you are visiting the place in the off-season. But in the mela seasons you will have to park your vehicle in the parking lot at the foot of hills and walk up. There is a properly built staircase, covered with asbestos and steel railings on two sides taking care of your safety and comfort, which leads you to the temple situated atop the 600 feet Kaimoor hill. You should be able to climb the stairs if you want to reach there within 45 minutes of starting without taking any rest. Otherwise I would suggest you walk on the ramp road which is much easier than climbing the stairs. But you should have a bottle of water with you because on the roadside there are no water vendors. The roadside walking is better also because of its attractive scenery and landscape, surrounded from all sides with green trees and thorny bushes.

The plateau is quite wide and flat open. Ruins of a grand artistic temple are visibly spread all around over the plateau. Stone pillars and parts of stone walls and stone roofs and domes, are scattered all around. The remaining octagonal garbha griha (sanctum sanctorum) of the temple is just a small portion of the grand old temple. This garbha griha was originally surrounded with a huge parikrama the roof of which was built on stone pillars and there was a huge dome over this garbha griha which is seen nowhere at present. The temple has four doors. At present only the south door is open for exit and the west door is open for entry. Most of the time the west door is closed and only the south door is open. The remaining two doors are kept closed.