Sthala Mahātmyam
Mangala Gauri at Gaya, invoked as 'Gaya Mangalya gaurika', is the sixteenth Maha Shakti Peetha, set on the Mangalagauri hill in the ancient tirtha-city famed for ancestral rites. Tradition holds that a breast of Sati fell here, and the goddess is worshipped in the aniconic form of a breast-symbol, an emblem of nourishment and the life-giving, motherly grace of the Devi. Revered as Mangala (the auspicious) Gauri, giver of well-being, she is especially sought for marital happiness, progeny and prosperity. The shrine, mentioned in the Padma, Vayu and Agni Puranas, survives in its present form from about the 15th century. Because Gaya is the supreme place for Shraddha, ancestral offerings, the peetha is thronged during Pitru Paksha, the fortnight in Ashwin, when pilgrims performing pinda-dana also seek the Mother's darshan; near the temple a spot marks where Bhima is said to have performed shraddha. Chief festivals are Navaratri and Durga Puja, the Pitru Paksha Mela, and Mangalvar (Tuesday) worship dear to the goddess.