Kalika Mata temple on top of Pavagadh Hill, Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park, Gujarat State, India

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Pavagadh Hill is a basaltic volcanic core, 800 m high, rising from the plains in the Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park, in Gujarat, western India, a UNESCO World Heritage site. At its base is the historical city of Champaner, while the hill station of Pavagadh was built upon the volcanic cone itself. It's a long hard climb up the pilgrim's path on Pavagadh Hill to reach the Kalika Mata (the Black Mother) temple at the top, which was built in the 10th to 11th century. It is one of the biggest tourist and pilgrimage centers in Gujarat, attracting large numbers of people every year, and it is traditional to make a pilgrimage here at least once in a lifetime. This image is looking up at the Kalika Mata temple from below and shows some details of the volcanic core that forms Pavagadh Hill.

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Size: 3600px × 2400px
Location: Pavagadh Hill, Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park, Gujarat State, India
Photo credit: © Terry Allen / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No

Keywords: archaeological, champaner-pavagadh, core, gujarat, hill, india, kail, kalika, kalikamata, mata, park, path, pavagadh, pilgrim, state, temple, volcanic