Sunday, January 21, 2018

Bhadrakali Temple, Itkhori, Chatra

  
ॐ जयंती मंगला काली भद्रकाली कपालिनी
दुर्गा क्षमा शिवा धात्री स्वाहा स्वधा नमोस्तुते।
भद्रकाली मंदिर, इटखोरी, झारखंड
Bhadrakali Temple, Itkhori, Chatra, Jharkhand

            The Bhadrakali Temple at Itkhori, Chatra is one of the many famous Goddess temples around Ranchi, Jharkhand. The distance of temple from Ranchi is about 150 km. On the Ranchi-Barhi National Highway, there is a place Arar from where the road to Itkhori branches out towards west. 
Place for coconut breaking
             Itkhori is situated at the confluence of two rivers named 'Mahane' and 'Baksa'. Just like the temple of 'Maa Chhinnamastika' at the confluence of river 'Damodar' and 'Bhairavi' at Rajrappa, the temple of 'Maa Nagar Bhagawati' (Goddess Ugratara) near Chandwa, Latehar and the temple of 'Maa Kauleshwari' at Hunterganj -This temple of Maa Bhadrakali has been a famous place of worship of Goddess of "Shakti" from time unknown. 
 
Main Entrance Gate (Dwar) of
Maa Bhadrakali Temple, Itkhori, Chatra
Jharkhand
            Itkhori is related to three religions- Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. The name of Itkhori is related to an incident with "Gautam Buddha". It is said that once "Gautam Buddha" came here after leaving his home in search of true knowledge. While he was in his "Dhyana" his aunt (Mother's sister) came here in his search. But even then his "Dhyana" did not interrupt. The aunt said "Itt Khoi" (इत् खोई) in local language which she meant that 'Here he is lost (In Dhyana)'. On these two words "Itt Khoi", this place was called 'Itkhoi' which later changed to "Itkhori". The area is also known as Bhadauli because it is built at the banks of a river known as Bhaduli. Bhaduli is the birthplace of the tenth "Tirthankar" of Jains whose name was Shitala Swami. Some people say that Bhadauli is related to the word Bhadrakali. 
Darban Idol near Entrance Gate at
Ma Bhadrakali Temple, At Itkhori, Jharkhand
           This place is related to many tales of Hindu mythology. Ram, Laxman, and Sita had come and stayed for some time here during exile. It is also said that King Yudhisthir had also stayed here during his exile (without being discovered). So this place is related to both Ramayana and Mahabharata era.
             King Surath whose name is mentioned in "Durga Saptasati" had is capital at the hills of Kuleshwari near Hunterganj. He was defeated by a foreigner king and came here at the Ashram of Medha Rishi. At the same time, a rich businessman named Sarathi was dispossessed of all his wealth by his own family and he too came to this ashram. Both needed to know the cause of their distress. Medha Rishi told them the reason giving many examples and also told that if they want to get rid of their distress, they must pray to the Goddess Bhadrakali. Both of them went to a thick forest named Tamasin near the Mahane river and devoted themselves to prayers and penance. Maa Bhadrakali was pleased and came there to bless them. King Surath got back his desired kingdom but now the businessman Surath did not wish for his wealth but for 'moksha', that he got from the blessing of the Goddess. 
             There is another story of Maa Bhadrakali how she came in this form. There was a very powerful asura named Shankhchud who was blessed by Vishnu that no woman will kill him. When gods lost their patience over his terror, the commander of gods Kartikeya went to fight him. But Kartikeya fell to the ground by Sankhchud's attack. Seeing this the Goddess "Adishakti" took a fierce form of Bhadrakali and fought him but could not defeat him. So she began to swallow the asuras in the battlefield and in the last Shiva destroyed Sankhchud with his Trident.
                Many ancient things have been found here in the excavation. Notable among them is a pair of footwear of Jain Tirthankara Shitalnath engraved on a
Banyan Tree at
Ma Bhadrakali Temple, Itkhori,
Jharkhand
stone and also a box in which the name Shitalnath is written on a copper plate.
            There is a Stupa on which 1004 small and 4 big idols of Buddha is made.
              On the basis of the inscriptions in Brahmi like script near the feet of Maa Bhadrakali idol, it is said that it has been made during tenth to the eleventh century by the orders of King Mahendra Pal who was the king of Bengal and Magadh. 
Open Shivalaya - 
Sri Sufalnath,
Itkhori, Chatra,
Jharkhand
              Maa Bhadrakali is in the gentle form of Maa Mangala Gauri in the temple. Initially, there was an eight-handed idol of Goddess Durga beside the Bhadrakali idol but in 1968 both were stolen. Maa Bhadrakali's idol was recovered but not the other one.The Idol of Ma Bhadrakali is made of Either 'Gomed' stone or 'Ashtadhatu' and is a great quality artwork. Time has not been able to affect it.
Nandi from single rock
at Itkhori, Chatra,
Jharkhand
                             There are idols of Buddha in Dhyan Mudra at each corner of the temple campus. 417 idols were dug out from the temple campus which are kept at a museum in the campus of IB of District Board. In the present temple, there are 24 idols. Beside the main Bhadrakali idol is the idol of Vishnu. The coconuts offered to the Goddess are broken at the place marked for it behind the main building. 
Sahastra Shivalingam near
Maa Bhadrakali Temple, Itkhori,
Chatra, Jharkhand
                As the worship of goddess is complete only with the worship of Shiva, so there is an open 'Shivalaya' beside the main temple and another is on a campus which is near this campus. The Shivalingam in this temple is called "Sahastra Shivalingam" ('Sahastra' meaning a thousand in Sanskrit). There are many small Shivalingas engraved upon a big Shivalinga here. Outside near the entrance is a Nandi statue. Between these two temple campuses, there is a road to 'Sahastra Buddha Stupa'. The 'Stupa' is 15 ft high but visible only 5 ft above the ground. The peculiar fact is that it is in the shape of "Sahastra Shivalinga" with four big Buddha statues at four corners and 1004 small statues over it. 1008 is an auspicious number in Indian culture.
Sahastra Buddha at
Itkhori, Chatra,
Jharkhand
 The top of the Stupa is in a mace shape over which is a small cover which when lifted let ooze out droplets of water. 
             Near the open Shivalaya, there is a Hanuman temple. The idol of Hanuman has five heads of different creatures. Such idol is called "Panchamukhi Hanuman".   
          The stone on which the feet of 10th Jain Tirthankara are engraved is placed on the western part of the main temple. The Jains call Maa Bhadrakali as Bhadli Mata.
             Other places near the temple are "Shahi Van Pokhara" (Royal forest pond) also called "Rani Pokhar", The temple of Maa Karunamai (also called Kanuniya Mai Sthal) and Pond of Kuteshwar Sthan. "Kanuniya Mai Sthal" is a proven Tantric place.
Shilapatta at Maa Bhadrakali Temple,
Itkhori, Chatra, Jharkhand
              At present, the temple complex is also utilized for social occasions like marriage and "Mundana". The campus is green and well maintained. Many Harsingar flower trees are there on the campus. There is a good sitting place in front of the temple underneath a Banyan Tree. Near it is a hexagonal marble "Shilapatta" on which history of the temple is engraved. The main entrance gate is beautifully constructed. For parking vehicles, there are lots of space in front of the gate and shops. Reaching Itkhori is not difficult because Ranchi Barhi is National Highway. From Arar to Itkhori autos are available. But it is better to have an owned/hired vehicle than public transport. It will save time.

                 Spending some time on the campus gave us a lot of peace and happiness. 
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Monday, January 8, 2018

Hundru Falls, Ranchi and Maa Nagar Bhagawati Temple, Chandwa, Latehar, Jharkhand

Maa Nagar Bhagawati Temple, Chandwa, Latehar, Jharkhand

                 Maa Nagar Bhagwati Temple situated at Chandwa, Latehar in the State of Jharkhand is one of the oldest Devi Temples around Ranchi. The temple in its present form was built by local Raja thousands of years ago. The diety of goddess here is named as "Ugratara (उग्रतारा )". She is one of the three manifestations of Maa Tara. Maa Tara is the second Mahavidya of the ten Mahavidya forms of the Goddess Adi Shakti. The three manifestations of Ma Tara are - Ek Jata (एक जटा ), Ugratara (उग्रतारा), and Nila Saraswati (नीलसरस्वती). Ugra means fierce in Hindi/Sanskrit. The appearance of this Ugratara Goddess is fierce but She is very pleased with her devotees and saves them from fierce dangers. Therefore She is named as Ugratara. Devotees have great faith in Her.
माँ उग्रतारा मंदिर (नगर भगवती), चंदवा, लातेहार, झारखंड
Main Temple of Maa Ugratara (Nagar Bhagawati)
at Chandwa, Latehar, Jharkhand
                        About eighteen years ago I had visited this temple two or three times. For some time I had an inner wish to visit here again. But when I got a chance to visit places around Ranchi, it was New Year's first few days and my family had a program to visit Hundru Waterfall. So first we went to see this waterfall which is in the course of river Swarnrekha. From Ranchi, there are two routes to go there. One is through Ranchi - Puruliya road with distance 45 km. Another is through Ormanjhi - Sikidiri with distance 39 km. We took the latter route. The road was fine. 
Hundru falls, Ranchi at the beginning of January
हुंडरू जलप्रपात, राँची, झारखंड
                           Till everybody was ready to go it was already 01:00 PM. I was wondering whether it was safe or not to visit so late but when we reached there at about 2:30 PM there was a crowd like big Mela. Near the fall we reached on the left side of the river. So we crossed the bridge on the river which is about 300 feet upstream at the top of the fall. There was an entry ticket to the fall for each person and parking fee for the vehicle. So we got them from the nearby counter of the Jharkhand Tourism Department. Straight ahead there was a restaurant. On the left of it was the view-point of the fall from the top. On the right, about 100 ft ahead was the entry to the steps going down to the base of the waterfall. We parked the vehicle near these steps. A person was checking the tickets there. It was written here that there are 745 steps. Only my daughter and I dared to go down. The continuous movement of people coming up and going down was on. A few persons coming up were ultimately tired and in miserable conditions. When we got a full view of the waterfall, our tensions cleared to see the mesmerizing view. It is a big waterfall and going near it is difficult due to the rocky approach. They have made a few Sal Ballah bridges at few gaps on the rock and a number of persons dared to go near the big pond at the foot of the fall. Locals have made a raft of sal ballah and they carry tourists on it right up to the point where the water falls in the pond. They have tied a rope across the pond and by pulling it they sail the raft. Local photographers had made platforms at two places and placed flower vases and guitar on a red carpet. They were charging Rs. 30/- for the print of a photo. We took many pics near rocks and water. The water here falls from about 300 ft and the scenery is breathtaking. 
Falling water, Still water, Rocks and People in
an enjoying mood at Hundru Falls, Ranchi

                    Here the falling water's energy is utilized for making hydropower. The hydropower station is situated further 400 ft downstream.
                   After enjoying the scenery here for some period we came near the steps to go up back. Now it was tough going up the steps. Before reaching the top we took rest at three places. Even in this winter, we were sweating. Still, people were going down. When we met our family at the starting point they were relieved to see us. My son said that a person came up from the falls and sat beside him. He was very tired and feeling hot. After few minutes he became senseless and fell to the ground. My son took him to the nearby tea shop and helped him to get conscious.
It is so pleasant to hear the water flowing over the rocks
कल -कल करती जलधारा बरबस ही मन को मोह लेती है।
Hundru Falls, Ranchi

              Since my family did not go near the waterfall so we went near the waterfall view-point which is at the side of the restaurant. Though falling water is not seen from here you can see lots of rocks and the river just before falling. We snapped some pictures here and got into our vehicle for back to the home. I told my family that I wished to go to Maa Nagar Bhagawati Temple. They too said that it has been a long time since we visited there. So, we planned to go there in this very week on coming Saturday. 
                 
Front Entrance through Shed of Maa Nagar Bhagawati Temple, Chandwa, Latehar, Jharkhand
 As per the program, we got ready in the morning at about 8:30 AM and started our journey by car. The distance is about 90 km. The road from Ranchi towards Daltonganj is being widened. Some bridges are being newly constructed. Old trees on both sides of the roads have been cut down and more are being cut. This road has good traffic up to a place named Kudu. From Kudu to Chandwa road traffic is less. The road is good except near Tori railway station. The reason is that there is much movement of bauxite laden trucks. Trucks bring bauxite from mines and dump at Tori from here it is loaded into railway wagons an sent to factories where Aluminum is extracted from it.
Hawan Kund and Tulsi Chowra at Maa Nagar Bhagawati Temple
Chandwa, Latehar, Jharkhand
                  The road ahead passes through the forest. We people living in urban areas have a pleasant and peaceful feeling seeing a forest. About 8 km from Tori Junction there is a road branching out to the left. Along this road at about 1.0 km is situated the Nagar Bhagwati Temple. There is a welcome gate at this turning point. When we reached here it was about 11 AM. Being it a Saturday we expected a rush of devotees here but we were happy to see that there was not much crowd. Other temples around Ranchi like Deori Temple or Rajrappa have much rush on Saturdays or on holidays. The main temple is still the same. Tile works and flooring is new compared to when we visited last. In front of the temple, there is a Hawan Kund and a protected Tulsi-Chaura. A shed has been constructed in the front for the long queue of devotees on special occasions like Dussehra and Ram-Navami. At the corner of the shed is a big well. Here a notice is hanging that says - 1. Marriage is not performed here since last year. 2. DJ is prohibited around the temple. 3.- Sacrifice (बलि) is performed here. 4. A sacrifice of Fish is also allowed. 
The Shiva Temple near Maa Ugratara Temple
(Nagar Bhagawati), Chandwa, Jharkhand.
See the tall tree just in the middle of the temple.


 The last line was interesting because Fish Sacrifice is rare in temples. We bought prasad form one of the shops for offerings. Prasad contains dry coconut and coarse crystalized sugar (मिश्री). Along with it, he gave us colored cotton thread, a Deepak for Aarti, some Hawan Samagri and a Chunni. There were about ten persons in waiting. The old temple has two rooms. The front room is for devotees to offer puja or have a darshan. The other room is Sanctum Sanctorum (गर्भ गृह) where Maa Tara idol is put on a platform wrapped in white clothes. The priest sitting at the door of Sanctum Sanctorum was reading the Mantra and helping to perform the worship. Devotees are not allowed to enter here nor are allowed to touch the idols. After worship, we lighted the "deep" for Aarti and put the 'hawan samagri' in the 'hawan kund'. Then went to a mandap beside the temple to get the cotton thread tied to our wrists by the priests sitting there. There were 4-5 photographers asking for the snap. From there we came near the well. Opposite to the well, there is a Shiva Temple on the other side of the road.
Shiva Worship in the Shiva Temple near Nagar Bagawati
Temple, Chandwa, Jharkhand
The temple is small and the Shivalinga is placed at the foot of a Sal tree. The Sal tree is very tall and a hole is left open in the roof of the temple for the tree. We worshiped Shiva here.  It is said that worship of Goddess (Bhagawati) is complete with the worship of Shiva. So our worship was complete and donated some prasad and money to poor and got back in the vehicle for the return journey. 
                   We were hungry so entered in the first Dhaba on the Chandwa road. The food here was good and satisfying. We were back home around 4:00 PM. Return journey had many traffic jams, so it took longer than expected. 
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