At the southern end of Mehrangarh Fort, near the ramparts overlooking the old city, stands the temple of Chamunda Mataji — the patron goddess of Jodhpur. Rao Jodha brought her idol from the hilltop shrine of Mandore when he founded the city and built this fort in 1459. She has been worshipped here ever since, making this one of the oldest continuously active places of worship in Jodhpur.
The temple is small and the inner sanctum dark, but it draws steady streams of local devotees rather than sightseers. During Navratri — the nine-night Hindu festival in September or October — the atmosphere intensifies considerably, with night-long prayers and oil lamps lit across the fort's walls. It is one of those places within a tourist site that has not become a tourist attraction.