Kalika Devi

The most famous Shaktipith of goddess Kali is
situated near a famous city of India, Calcutta. The
hair of goddess Sati had fallen here. There are
three temples representing Kali-namely-“Rah-
tambra’, Mund-Malini and ‘Mukt-Keshi’. The rise
of one of India’s greatest spiritual saints of ninteenth century, Shri. Ram Krishna Paramhansa, is
connected with this Kali temple.

However, we are giving details of a Kali temple
situated near ‘Kalika-ji’ railway station on Chandigarh-Simla railway line. The narrow-gauge line
for Simla starts from this Kalikaji railway station.
There is an ancient but small and beautiful temple
situated in the town. The town is also known by
the name of this temple. It is believed that the
mother goddess attracts her devotees like a magnet to this abode of Kalikaji. The temple priests
give details of several miracles of the goddess
Kalika. The priests believe that a few hair of Sati
had fallen in this place also. Although this shrine
is not counted as a Shakti-Pith yet the miracles of
mother goddess draws a huge number of de-
votees. Mother goddess is seen in the form of
Pindi here.

The History of Kalika temple

According to a myth this place was a part of a
king Jai Singh’s empire. He had placed the idol of
Kalika in this temple. -Once, devotees were worshipping mother-goddess at night during “Nav-
Ratras’. The ladies of palace were singing the
praise of goddess together. The whole atmos-
phere was joyous and blissful. The goddess ap-
peared in the form of a dazzling woman and sat
with the ladies of palace singing devotional songs.
The king Jai Singh was also present on this occa-
sion. He could not understand the illusion cast by
goddess and felt strong and irresistible passion to-
wards the melodious voice and exquisite figure of
goddess. At the end of devotional songs, when
ladies started to disperse, the king caught the
hand of goddess. Goddess said, “I am happy. You
ask for a boon. What do you want?”

The king replied, “I humbly request you to
marry me.” On hearing this the goddess Kalika got
angry and she gave the king a curse. She said,
“You have become agnostic and proud due to
lordship of a kingdom. Both you and your kingdom
will get destroyed”. Saying so the goddess dis-
appeared. Then the temple started to get a shak-
ing and the sound of lion’s roaring filled the air.
The idol of Kalika started to enter into earth.

A saint lived behind the temple. Sensing the
danger for mankind, he prayed to goddess ar-
dently and said, “Oh goddess! I beg you pardon.
You are humane and gracious.” Then the idol did
not sink further. The head of idol remained outside
the earth and is still visible in the sameway. The
curse of goddess destroyed the kingdom of Jai
Singh. The enemy defeated him in a battle and he
was killed in battle alongwith his two sons. The
town weared deserted look for a long time. The
present town was built several centuries later.

Bhadra Kali

Kurukshetra Railway station is situated between Indian Capital Delhi and Ambala-city rail-
way line. This temple is located in Kurukshetra
near Sathanu Shiva Temple on Jhansa road. The
left ankle of Sati had fallen here. The goddess
Bhadrakali’s idol is placed in the temple. The temple is counted in the fifty one Shakti-Peeths of
India. Big fairs are held in the temple in the Indian
months of ‘Chaitra’ and “Asuja”. A huge pond
named ‘Devi-Talab’, is also near the temple and a
well, which is known as Devi-Koop. It is said that
before the start of holy war of Maha-Bharat, Lord
Krishna promised for a favour, a golden horse to be
presented at Devi-Koop.

In accordance with this story the people seek
favours at Devi-Koop even now and when their desires are fulfilled, they present wooden horses.
The district administration has made the place
very beautiful. Pilgrims can stay in Durga DharamShala or many other Dharmhalas. Fairs are held

here on Shiv-Ratri and Nav-Ratras. At the time of
Solar eclipse, lakhs of people visit this pilgrim
centre to have a holy dip. The Pandas (Priests of
temple) have pilgrim-records of centuries and one
can get information of generations.

As per the Bhagvat-Puran, the child-Lord
Krishna’s Mundan (First hair cutting ceremony)
was held in this Bhadrakali temple. The ceremony
was perfomed by Lord Krishna’s foster-father
Nand Baba and mother Yashoda. Lord Krisna was
fond of Kurukshetra. He took dip in the holy water
on the occasion of solar eclipse alongwith his relatives. He also visited the place during the epic war
of Maha-Bharat. Pilgrims coming to Kurukshetra
also visit Jyotisar (The place where Geeta was
preached), Narka-Tari Kund, Hanuman ji, Sarveshwar Mahadev, Brahma-Sarovar, DukhBanjneshwar, Suryakund, Biria Mandir, KuruPandu temple, Geeta Bhavan, Thaneshwar MahaDev etc.

Bhadrakali and the Thieves

Once a certain Vrishala king, who wanted children, undertook a human sacrifice to Bhadrakali.
By chance the sacrificial victim escaped and his
trail was followed by the king’s attendants in the
middle of a murky night. Not finding the victim in
the dark, they happened by accident upon the son
of an eminent Angiras priest sifting in the “hero”
posture, guarding the fields from deer, wild pigs
and other animals. Noticing this blameless man
and thinking they were fulfilling their master’s desire, they bound him with a rope and led him to the
sanctuary of the goddess Chandika, their faces
blooming with joy.

According to their custom, the thieves fed him,
anointed him, dressed him in unwashed garments
and decorated him with ornaments, oils, garlands,
tilakas, and other adornments. Equipped with offerings, of perfume, lights, wreaths parched grain,
shoots, sprouts and fruit, they made the human
victim sit amid the paraphernalia of bloodshed in
front of Bhadrakali to the noisy accompaniment of
songs, hymns, drums and cymbals.

Then the king of the Vrishala thieves, preparing
to make sacrifice to the goddess Bhadrakali with
the blood of a human victim, drew out a sharp,tooth-edged sword that had been charmed with
magic. When the goddess Bhadrakali saw what
was happening before her eyes, the illict immolation of the peaceable son of a brahmin seer who
was a friend to all creatures, she judged this to be
the most despicable act of men who glory in murder, who willfully follow the path of error while
disdaining the family of the blessed Kalvira, their
minds puffed up with the greed of possession,
with natures full of rajas and tamas.

When she saw these Vrishalas preparing the
sacrifice, the goddess Bhadrakali instantly jumped
out of her image with a blazing body that was utterly unendurable with Brahma’s splendor. Ebulliently manifesting herself with her retinue, her
dreadful swollen face flashing with indignation,
wrath and ferocity, with knotted eyebrows, curving fangs and copper-red eyes, she sprang forth in
ofury, with murderous intent and hideous laughter.
With the self-same sword of the king, the goddess
severed the heads of those wicked thieves, and
she and her troops drank greedily from their necks
that were streaming with blood. Staggering from
excessive drink, she and her retinue sang,
cavorted and played ball with the rolling skulls.

Truly, the transgression of the spells of the
great always produces such fruit as this. It is no
great wonder, Vishnudatta, that, even with the
loss of his own head imminent, this seer was un-
moved. For there is nothing to fear from any quarter whatsoever for those supreme ascetics, for the
devotees of the blessed lord Vishnu who approach
his feet for protection with minds friendly to all beings. The knots of their hearts bound tight in recollection of the Self, they can endure even such
calamities as the loss of life, yet remain free from
enmity and ever vigilant. Such men are protected
in all the various vicissitudes of weapons of the
enemies of the gods themselves!