Baglung Kalika Temple

Situated in the Baglung district in far western region in Nepal, the temple of Baglung Kali Bhagawati is one of the famous temples in Nepal. Also known as Kalika Bhagawati temple, it is one of the most religiously significant places located deep inside the dense forest just above the northern side of Kali Gandaki.

Kali is one of the most powerful and dangerous form of the Hindu goddess Durga and is often associated with the power, Shakti. Goddess Kali also means ‘the black one’. She is considered Kali, consort of Lord Shiva which also means time or death as Lord Shiva is often considered as ‘Kala‘, the eternal time. She is the prime goddess of the Dasa Mahavidyas, ten fierce goddesses of Tantra or the Tantric goddesses. Besides this, Kali is strongly associated with Shiva and Shaivas derive the masculine Kala (a form of Shiva) from her feminine name.

The temple of Baglung Kali was built by Pratap Narayan and was renovated in late 1990s. There are various other small temples like that of Lord Shiva, Radha Krishna, Laxmi Narayan, etc. inside the Baglung Bhagwati temple. Every year, thousands of religious pilgrims from all over the world come to visit the temple. Not only the normal Hindu devotees, but also Tantrics from all over the world come to the temple to get Siddhi (knowledge) on their field of interest. Also, marriage is conducted inside the temple with a belief that their married life will be blessed with every kind of happiness. During the festival of Navaratri/Nauratha, the temple is crowded with devotees coming from every corner of Nepal to celebrate the festival there. People also come here to perform puja to get victory over their enemies, win legal suits, win the heart of their beloved and protection from black magic.

It is said that the goddess fulfills the wishes of the devotees if they could please her. She is also known as Bhavatarini literally meaning ‘rescuer of the universe’.

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Bagh Bhairab, The Guardian Deity Of Kirtipur

Bhairab is considered as the most terrifying form of Lord Shiva.  There are several images of Bhairab erected around the nooks and crannies of the Kathmandu valley, from temple premises to cremation sites to wheels of chariots. There are about sixty four different forms of Bhairab, seen in the images of him in Nepal, depicting him in his combined human form, demonic and animal characteristics.

One of the forms of Bhairab is Bagh Bhairab, also known as the guardian deity of Kirtipur, one of the oldest Newari settlements in Nepal. The three storied temple of Bagh Bhairab standly proudly in the brick-paved rectangular courtyard is believed to be built in 16^th century. With the main gate at the southern side, there are other two gates at the eastern and the western sides. The courtyard also houses some small shrines and stone images around it. The third roof o the temple is covered with gilt-copper while the other two are made up of tiles. The wooden pillars are carved with the images of the Hindu Gods and Goddesses. These pillars are erected between the windows of the second storey and the names of the carved deities have been finely engraved on the pedestals below the images. With one in the first roof, six in the middle and eleven in the top roof, there are altogether eighteen pinnacles. There are old and faded wall paintings depicting the stories of Ramayan, Mahabharat and various other manifestations of Durga beneath the eaves of the first roof.

An idol of god of blood sacrifice, Hifa Dyo, is situated at the right side of the temple and any sacrifice made to Bhairab is directly offered to him here. On the second gate, there is a stone idol of goddess Kumari. Two torans which bear the fine cutting of Asta-Matriks, Asta-Bhairab and other gods and goddesses are situated over Hifa Dyo. A small space on the western wall of the temple is dedicated to Nasa Dyo, the god of music and dance. There are also some of the rusted weapons that were snatched away from the Gorkha-soldiers during the Gorkhalese attack on Kirtipur.

The temple houses a clay image of Bagh Bhairab which is in the left corner of the temple. The three glass-eyed tiger-god is tongue and toothless but is covered with silver and copper plates and is heavily ornamented. This god is called Byagresvar, the tiger god, Bhimsen Bhattarak (Bhimsen, the guardian deity), Gudei Sthanadhipati (the lord in the form of tiger) and Ajudyo (the ancestral god). The lord is regarded as the lord of knowledge, productivity and strength who could resist all the evils because of which all the auspicious ceremonies in Kirtipur are done only after worshipping the god.

Once in every twelve years, Bagh Bhairab dance is performed where the mask-dancers compose twelve deities like Bhairab, Mahadev, Ganesh, Ganga, Vaisnavi, Brahmayani, Indrani, Kumaru , Kalika, Barahi, Sinhini and Byaghini. The Gathus performs this dance in several places throughout the year. The deities are laid dead twice and brought to life again with the water chanted with the incantation by the guru who used to perform the dawo-khin. Finally, the masks die for the third time and then, they are carried to funeral procession which is accompanied by beating of naye khinsand blowing of kahas to the cremation site. Then the masks of all the deities, except Ganesh who does not die in the dance, are piled on the pyre and they are burned with a bundle of lighted reeds marking the end of the dramatic tantric dance.

The rath jatra (chariot festival) of Bagh Bhairab is celebrated on the first day of Bhadra that falls around the second week of English month of August. The local women and girls wearing new colorful clothes and carrying the sukunda lamps stands in front of the decorated chariot and behind it is the musical band. The chariot is carried on the human shoulders and pulled throughout the place accompanied by hymns, songs and musical instruments. The jatra ends after the round and people enjoy the bhoj followed by shows that presents the legend of origin and presence of this god as a guardian deity of Kirtipur.

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Akash Bhairab, The God Of Sky

One of the many forms of Bhairab, also known as the brother of the living goddess Kumari, Akash Bhairab is an important deity of Newar community. Considered as the ‘god of sky’, several temples in Kathmandu are dedicated to this Hindu deity. One of the most famous temples of Akash Bhairab is the one situated in the middle of Indra Chowk. The three storey temple in the center of the main market in Indra Chowk is one of the oldest temples in the Kathmandu valley and it has a huge image of the god which is displayed outside for a week during the festival of Indra Jatra.

It is said that the head of this god was dug up several hundred years ago in Kathmandu and the head now resides in the temple of Akash Bhairab in Indra Chowk and it is the same image which is taken out every year during the Indra Jatra festival. Akash Bhairab or the god of sky is also known as Sava Bhakku Deva or Wanga Day in Newari language.

Bhairab is considered as one of the most important deity in Newar community, hence, every Newari settlement has at least one temple of Bhairab. Bhairab is also known as the most dangerous form of Lord Shiva, the destructive part of him. And, as he is considered as the community or local deity of the settlement where his temple stands, people perform puja's before they start any new work or ceremonies. Worshipping the god is said to take away the bad omen from the life of the devotees and allow them to perform their auspicious ceremonies with happiness and good health. Hence, before the beginning of any kind of ceremony or work, the idol or the image of Bhairab is worshipped.

The temple of Akash Bhairab is one of the oldest temples in the valley situated in Indra Chowk near the Kathmandu Durbar Square.

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580 Years Old Gompa In Mustang

One of the major reasons to pay a visit to Muktinath in Mustang region is the splendid beauty that accompanies the trekkers while another is the presence of Hindu holy site where the Lord Vishnu is enshrined. However, for those who are interested in neither trekking nor a Hindu pilgrimage site, especially the followers of Buddhism, there is one reason why they should visit Muktinath.

Passing through the Kali Gandaki River’s floodplain is the ancient fort city of Kagbeni. There still lay a special gompa or monastery of Kag Chode Thupen Samphel Ling, although its walls are crumbling and its king is present only as a memory. The tall stone and mud building belonging to the Sakya lineage of Buddhism stays right in the center of the town.

Kagbeni is recognized as a place where Tibetan Buddhist lifestyle is followed in a way that does not even exists in Tibet itself. It is nestled at the foot of Upper Mustang surrounded by huge rounded sandstone hills. Roaming around the place makes one wonder if they are still in Nepal or somewhere else.

The locals are engaged doing their kora or rounds around the town and the monastery from early morning to late evening. It continues throughout the day with the haunting sounds of a Manakal protection ritual, a tantric ritual which has continued for centuries and is led by the monks of the monastery.

The gompa was started more than 580 years ago by Tibetan scholar Tenpai Gyalsten and was built by the locals to be their spiritual center. Hundreds of monks from 12 surrounding villages used to live here in its glorious days, however, the number has done down to 40 in present days and even the Rimpoche, The highest teacher lives in India. While you visit the monastery, do not forget to enter into its ritual room in the middle of the three floors where the main golden Buddhist idol as well as many items such as tantric masks adorn the room and its walls. The ceiling is painted in mandalas, the cosmic roadmaps of life, which is used for meditations. The splendid views of the mountains with the scene of crumbling city in the foreground can be seen from the gompa’s roof. There are many prayer wheels around the monastery, however, some fist-sized ceramic conch-like items are tucked in behind the wheels which encase items such as grains of rice from past rituals.

This 580 years old gompa is definitely a place to be for those who are in search of inner peace and wants to observe Tibetan Buddhist culture.

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