Chandika Sthan

Bihar, Munger, Patna

The Chandika Sthan of Bihar is celebrated for being a significant shrine for Tantric sadhana during the period of Navratra. Over the centuries many sages had attained siddhi after years of sadhana in this Shakti-peeth temple.
The place is also associated with the Mahabharata. Anga Raj Karna is also worshipped in this temple of Devi Chandika. Rai Bahadur Kedar Nath Goinka was the first who initiated the work to develop the Sthan around 50 years back. In 1991, Shyam Sunder Bhangad took the responsibility of renovating the Chandika Sthan.

Legend

It is said that when Mahadev was performing Tandav by carrying the corpse of His wife, Devi Sati, soon after Her self-immolation at the Dakshya Yajna, Lord Vishnu, send His Sudarshan Chakra to cut off the corpse of the Devi to pieces so that Lord Shiva stop His Tandav so as to save the world. It is believed that the left eye of Mata Sati fell at Chandika Sthan and from then onwards the place became one of the major Shakti-Peeth since the prehistoric times.
Another legendary tale associated with this century-old temple is related to the times of the Mahabharata. King Karna, known to be the 6th brother of the Pandavas, was the ruler of Anga Kingdom gifted to him by Duryodhana, son of Dhritarastra and Gandhari.
Raja Karna used to worship at the temple of Devi Chandika and one day, the happy and content Goddess gifted Karna 50 Kilograms of gold. But the benevolent Karna known as Danvira, distributed the gold to the needy and downtrodden among his people.

Architecture

The temple of Maa Chandika is designed and built in archetypal north Indian style of architecture. The white colored cauldron shaped temple is built by the banks of the Ganges River. Around 20th century, the entrance of the temple has been recreated in a much larger shape under the benevolent intrusion of Rai Bahadur Kedar Nath Goinka and later on by Shyam Sunder Bhangad.

Picture Courtesy: commons.wikimedia.org

Darsan Info

Temple timings: 9.00 AM to 1.30 PM and 5.30 PM to 8.30 PM

Darsan Dresscode

No Specific dress code.

Famous Festival

October- November :- Durga Puja, Navaratri

Culture

Over the ages, Bihar has been the center of attraction regarding its involvement since the days of Ramanayana and the Mahabharata. The capital of the mighty Mauryan Empire was also at Pataliputra- which lies in the present day Bihar. Even today, many important relics of Emperor Chandra Gupta Maurya, Bindusara and the mightiest of them all Emperor Ashoka are found.
Moreover, Bihar proudly houses the centers of learning like the famous Nalanda University and the prestigious Vikramshila University during the ancient times.
The state boasts on its flagship religious culture, the enriched heritage that grew up associating different popular shrines in Bihar. Alongside, Bihar's culture extends to the vibrant Madhubani art and Manjusha art.