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Mundesvari is the principal deity in the temple. The deity, however does not occupy the centre of the sanctum sanctorum, but is installed in one of the sub–chambers of the sanctuary. At this centre of the sanctum there is a Mahalingam with four faces but this has not got the honour of being the presiding deity. It is generally held that Mundesvari was originally installed as one of the three images in the three sub chambers of the sanctuary with the Mukhalingam. But Mundesvari image, somehow, came to be preserved while the images of Kartikeya and Ganesha, the two other images in the niches, have been lost. It may be mentioned here that a large image of Ganesa is found half buried in the ruins of a small temple in the way leading to the top of the hill and might have been one of the Parsva-devatas originally enshrined in one of the side chambers of the Mundesvari temple. Further, the image of Mundesvari is not typical of that of Mahishamardini. Mundesvari deity has ten hands bearing the usual weapons of a Mahishamardini but with a difference that she is not in the act of killing Mahisasur, the demon in the shape of a buffalo but she is shown as riding a buffalo representing a demon.
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