Dakshinkali Temple: Where female deity reigns

• HB Kham

Ferocious blood-sucking, the six-armed female deity (Kali), straddling across the prostrated body of Shiva-the male deity -is the main sacred site of worship for the devotees of Hindu religion at the Dakshinkali temple.

The term “Dakshinkali’ made up of two words Dakshin means towards south and kali means the female deity known as kali the consort of Lord Shiva, who had incarnated into this ferocious blood-sucking female form to exterminate the demons who were harassing the gods and deities according to an ancient Hindu myth.

The main site is only one hour’s drive from Farping village and 22 km away from Kathmandu, which can be traveled in a vehicle. The female deity Kali is worshiped at this temple with the sacrifice of cocks and male goats on Saturdays and on Tuesday.

During the Dashain festival (September and October), the place remains overcrowded with devotees offering sacrifices and offerings for wishes and blessings from the deity Kali.

People blindly believe that the goddess Kali can make the believer’s wishes come true if worshiped with a true heart and mind. So, the temple is dedicated to goddess Kali. Some people are against such large scale sacrificial practices.

However, there has been no ebbing of such traditional religious practices that are deeply rooted in society that is indoctrinated with ancient religious doctrines.

Legend

A legend related to the origin of this temple says that the goddess Kali herself once appeared in the dream of one of the Malla rulers of the 14th century and ordered for the erection of her statue and temple at a strange place.

As the king was about to erect the temple, a man told him that he had already installed a stone image of Kali at that place which was ordered by Kali. Then the statue of Kali with a gilded canopy kept erect with four golden serpents was carved out.

The images of Lord Ganesh, seven Asthamatrikas and a stone Bhairav nearby her images were also carved out. What is surprising is that hundreds and thousands of devotees and pilgrims come to visit this temple every year and the goddess Kali is famous among its devotees far and wide.

Only Hindus are allowed to enter the inner premises of this temple. Other visitors can see all the activities from the surrounding places. There are smaller food stalls with cheap eatables to quench thirst and hunger in the surroundings of this temple.