01Chand and Mund
The Devi Mahatmya tells how the Devi sprang from Durga’s brow as Kali and slew the demons Chand and Mund, and took the name Chamunda. The people of Chotila hold that the battle was fought on this hill, and in the sanctum the Devi is shown as two faces side by side. Families from all over Saurashtra bring new brides and newborn children to her, and newly bought vehicles are driven up to the foot of the hill for puja.
02No one stays the night
The long stair climbs high above the plain, and from the top you see the Rajkot highway running away in both directions. After the evening aarti the priests and everyone else come down, for the custom is that no one remains on the hill at night, when the Devi is alone. Navratri brings the largest crowds, and the climb goes on through the night before the hill closes. The town of Chotila below was a seat of the Kathi chiefs from 1566.
The life of this place
- 1566Chotila passes to the Kathi chiefs.
Chotila is on the Ahmedabad–Rajkot highway, about 50 km from Rajkot; the climb takes 30–45 minutes.
