According to local tradition, the temple's origins are so ancient that they are traced to the Satya Yuga, making it one of the oldest continuously worshiped sites in Delhi. The current structure is believed to have been built during the reign of the Mughal emperor Akbar in the 16th century, though the site itself has been a place of worship for much longer.
The temple was mentioned in early Mughal records and was reportedly visited by the Mughal prince Dara Shikoh. The temple gained prominence in the 18th-19th centuries under the Maratha and later British rule, when the Kalkaji area developed as a residential neighborhood. The temple was renovated and expanded in the 20th century by the Kalkaji Temple Trust. The temple is also significant in Sikh history — Guru Gobind Singh is said to have visited and meditated here in 1686.
