A promise fulfilled
What truly sets the Ujjaini Mahakali Temple apart is not merely its historical eminence but the faith of its devotees in the divine power of Goddess Mahakali. In 1813, during a transfer to Ujjaini, Suriti Appaiah, a doli (palanquin) bearer serving in a military battalion, encountered a devastating outbreak of cholera that claimed the lives of thousands. In a fervent plea for deliverance, Appaiah and his companions prayed for mercy at the Mahakali Devasthanam, beseeching salvation from the epidemic.
They promised to install an idol of Mahakali in Secunderabad if their prayers were answered. True to their word, upon their return from Ujjaini, Sri Suriti Appaiah and his associates fulfilled their vow by installing a wooden idol of Goddess Mahakali in Secunderabad in July 1815.