Kalika Bhagwati Temple is a significant Hindu temple with great historical and religious values. The temple carries the important religious importance to the surrounding people as well as people from the other districts of the country. Once you are here, you can experience the holy and divine power cleansing your disturbed mind and soul. Many young couples visit this temple to get married and get the blessing from the main deity of the temple. The area of the temple is itself soothing to the devotees as it lies in the forests. The devotees can bless themselves with the worship of the goddess under the peaceful and serene environment. Many visitors here come with the wish and problems in their heart. They pray and worship the deity with the true heart and soul, so that their wishes are fulfilled and problems vanish from their lives. The temple mainly witnesses the pilgrims during the month of the Chaitra according to the Nepali Calendar.

Location of the Temple

Kalika Bhagwati Temple is located southeast of the town of Baglung in Western Nepal. So this temple is also known as the Baglung Kalika Bhagwati Temple. The temple is situated on the southern banks of the Kali Gandaki River.  Its courtyard has four entrances in each of the cardinal directions. The temple compound contains a sprawling collection of various other temples dedicated to Lord Shiva, Radha Krishna, Laxmi Narayan and Goddess Saraswati.

The temple is built in the pagoda style with the three storied roofs and pinnacle (gajur) on top. The bright red colour and metalled roof increases the beauty of the temple. It is surrounded by the trees. You can also witness the bells of different sizes and light pans all around the temple. The smell of the burning incense and the sound of the priests meditating the mantras has the extra soothing effect to the temple. The presiding deity of the temple is Kalika or Kali, one of the fiercest forms of Shakti, the consort of Shiva. Kalika is one of the main goddesses for the Shaiva sect.  

Kali is one of the most powerful and dangerous forms of the Hindu Goddess Durga and is often associated with power. Goddess Kali also means ” the Black one”. She is considered Kali, 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. Beside this , Kali is strongly associated with Shiva and Shaivas derive the masculine Kala (a form of Shiva) from her feminine name. That’s why this temple has great religious significance in the Hindu religion.

History of TheTemple

According to the Local Folktales, the king of Parbat district King Pratap Narayan Singh Malla received an idol of goddess Kalika as the part of the dowry in his marriage with King Mani Mukunda Sen’s daughter. The king thought of keeping this beautiful idol in his own home as the beauty of the fierceful idol was too mesmerizing. The king was returning to his hometown after the marriage ceremony. The bride, groom and others from the marriage procession took shelter in the forest and slept there in the  night. On the following day when they woke up in the morning there was a ruckus around them. Not a single person was able to move the idol from that step. So the King Pratap Narayan Singh Malla ordered to build the temple for the goddess in the exact same spot where the goddess had taken rest.  The temple was renovated in the late 1990s with other construction of other temples such as the temple of Lord Shiva, Radha Krishna and Laxmi Narayan.

Pilgrims of Kalika Bhagwati Temple

Every year thousands of religious pilgrims from all over the world come to visit the temple. Not only normal Hindu devotees but also Tantrics from all over the world come to the temple to get Siddhi (knowledge) in 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 aoming every corner of Nepal to celebrate the festival there.  The major festival of the temple is Chaite dashain, which is held on the eight day of the Shukla Paksha ( bright lunar fortnight) of the month of Chaitra according to Nepali Calendar. On this day devotees light oil lamps, perform pooja, rituals and get married with the belief of receiving the Devi’s blessings.

People also come here to perform puja to get victory over all the 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. Traditionally devotees sacrificed the animals at the temple in the belief that this would enable their wishes to be fulfilled. On 13 April 2016 the sacrifice of pigeons was stopped on the basis that pigeons represented a symbol of peace.  From that onward, the pigeons are instead released from within the temple’s ground.

My trip to Kalika Bhagwati Temple

My trip to Baglung was with my parents and grandparents. We visit there to bless us with the worship of the different deities there. My parents hired the private Scorpio from here so we can get there without any difficulties.  During the whole ride I enjoyed the beautiful views of the rivers, forests, hills and landscapes as we passed the city area of the Kathmandu valley. The ride was about 7 hours and we finally reached the Baglung Bazaar. We take the rest in one of the hotels there and I roam around with my parents a little bit to the market area. The market was surrounded by beautiful hills and I could enjoy the fresh and cool breeze. The next morning we leave to worship the Kalika Bhagwati Temple. The temple was about 15 minutes  walk from the market area. To reach the temple I have to pass the beautiful forest and a bridge also. The sight of the temple was so alluring that it soothes my tired mind and soul. The temple was not that crowded, so we got a chance to worship the Goddess a little quickly. The idol of the Goddess was so fascinating and beautiful that I could not take my eyes off her.

How to get there

Visitors can go there through the flight from Kathmandu to Pokhara and from here it is about 2 and half an hour drive to the Baglung Bazaar. Or you can also take a direct bus ride from Kathmandu to Baglung Bazar which takes about 8 – 9 hour. Through bus rides you can enjoy the beautiful views of the forests, river, hills and landscapes. The visitors also can book their own private vehicle to reach there.

Kalika Bhagwati Temple is a beautiful cultural heritage with a serene and peaceful environment. The temple offers you to get immersed in the traditional and religious values of the temple with the perfect and stunning landscapes and forest.