Kalimath
| Kalimath Kaviltha | |
|---|---|
| village | |
| Kalimathmaa.jpg | |
  Kalimath Location in Uttarakhand, India | |
| Coordinates: 30°33′50″N 79°05′06″E / 30.563887°N 79.085083°ECoordinates: 30°33′50″N 79°05′06″E / 30.563887°N 79.085083°E | |
| Country |
 India |
| State | Uttarakhand |
| District | Rudraprayag |
| Population (2001) | |
| • Total | 510 |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Hindi |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| PIN | 246439 |
| Nearest city | Guptakashi |
| Sex ratio | 1032/1000 ♀/♂ (2001) |
| Literacy | 68.86% (2001) |
Kalimath (originally known, and still sometimes referred to, as Kaviltha) is a village which is regarded as a divine place and shakti peeth. It lies at an altitude of around 6,000 feet (1,800 m) on the river Saraswati in the Himalayas, surrounded by the peaks of Kedarnath in Rudraprayag District of Uttarakhand, India. Kalimath is situated close to Ukhimath, and Guptakashi. It is one of the "Siddha Peeths" of the region and is held in high religious esteem. The temple of Goddess Kali located here is visited by a large number of devotees round the year and specially during the "Navratras".[1] There are 108 Shakti Peethas in India and this holy shrine is one of them as per Srimad Devi Bhagwat.[2] The upper part of Goddess Kali is worshipped in Dhari Devi(Uttarakhand) and the remaining part in Kalimath Religious tradition is that Kalimath is where Kali killed the demon Raktavija and had gone under the earth. Kalimath is only the place where the goddess Kali is worshipped along with her sisters Laxmi and Saraswati. There is a temple of the goddess Kali, which is visited by a large number of devotees throughout the year, and especially during the Navratras. A peculiar thing about the temple is that there is no idol that is worshipped here, instead, the Sri Yantra, is the object of devotion. On one day each year the goddess is taken out and Puja is performed at midnight, with only the chief priest present.[3] The temple is other ancient temples to Laxmi, Saraswati, Gauri Shankar and many antique Shivlings, idols of Nandi, Ganesh etc. An eternal holy flame always burns in the temple of Laxmi. Bhairava Mandir is also located very near. Barti Baba is credited for preserving the sanctity of this holy shrine.All the people who met him and the locals say that he had direct connection with Maa Kali.[4] The guru and Member of Parliament, Satpal Maharaj, has set up a small Dharamshala very close to the temple. Pilgrims can stay there.
The village is the birthplace of Kalidas, a Sanskrit poet.[5]