Manas Shakti Peeth (Manasadevi, Haridwar)

Mansa Devi (Manasadevi) atop Bilwa Parvat in Haridwar is one of the 51 Shakti Peethas — the sacred sites where fragments of Sati's body fell. At this site, Sati's manas (mind or consciousness) is believed to have fallen, making this the peeth of the divine mind — the seat of will, desire, and cosmic intention. The presiding Bhairava is Onkar (the primal sound OM, Shiva as cosmic vibration). The goddess here is Manasadevi — "She whose mind/will is manifest" — associated with the fulfillment of wishes and the exercise of divine will. The temple is one of the most accessible and most-visited Shakti Peeths in North India, owing to its hilltop position overlooking Haridwar — one of the seven sacred cities (Sapta Puri) of Hinduism — and the ease of access via ropeway.