Bhopal: Siddhidatri Paharwala Temple

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A backgrounder

As of 2025

Ramendra.Singh, Sep 26, 2025: The Times of India

Bhopal : If you are visiting Bhopal’s Siddhidatri Paharwala Temple, which attracts a wave of devotees during Navratri, do not take your shoes off. Carry them with you, right up to the deity.


Thirty years ago, this temple atop a hill in Kolar was established following a dream that many devotees had — the goddess asking them to ensure no girl walked barefoot. Since then, shoes offered at the deity’s feet are later distributed among those in need. 


Not just locals, devotees from far corners of India — and even abroad — participate in this tradition, often sending parcels of footwear, which are offered to the goddess before being gifted. 
“In 1994, we held the wedding ceremony of Shiva and Parvati, followed by a yajna, here. Then the temple construction began, and since 1995, it has had a steady stream of devotees. It houses the idol of Goddess Durga in her childhood form, known as Siddhidatri,” temple founder Omprakash Gupta said.


“The goddess appeared in my dream and instructed me to ensure that no girl, especially children, should walk around barefoot. A few other devotees claimed to have had the same dream. Since then, it has been a tradition to get shoes and slippers to the temple as offerings,” Gupta said. 
To reach the sanctum, devotees climb around 300 steps on the hill. “It is believed that Siddhidatri grants every wish. Once devotees feel that their wishes have been fulfilled, they return to the temple with more shoes and slippers as offerings of gratitude,” Gupta added.


He claimed that around 50-60 pairs of shoes and slippers were offered every day, and this number increased manifold during Navratri. “Only children’s footwear is offered directly to the goddess. When adult shoes are offered, we ask devotees to put them in a box in the temple premises,” he said. 
The shoes and slippers are then carefully collected and distributed to young girls in need throughout the region.