| Chinnamasta Bhagawati Temple | |
|---|---|
.JPG) .JPG) From the top down: Goddess statue and full view of Temple from the south direction. | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Hinduism |
| District | Saptari |
| Deity | Chhinnamasta |
| Festivals | Bada Dashain |
| Location | |
| Location | Sakhda,Chhinnamasta |
| State | Madhesh |
| Country | Nepal |
  Chinnamasta Bhagawati Temple in Nepal Show map of Madhesh Province Chinnamasta Bhagawati Temple (Nepal) Show map of Nepal | |
| Geographic coordinates | 26°27′04″N86°43′52″E / 26.45111°N 86.73111°E /26.45111; 86.73111 |
Chinnamasta Bhagawati also calledShakhada Bhagawati andShakhadeswori (Nepali: छिन्नमस्ता भगवती) is a temple andShakti Peetha in Eastern Nepal.[1] It was established in the 13th century by Shaktisimhadeva,[2] the fifth ruler of theKarnata dynasty.[3] The temple is inChhinnamasta Rural Municipality,Saptari, 10 km fromRajbiraj near the Indian border. It is the oldest and most revered religious site in the Saptari district[4][5]and draws thousands of devotees fromNepal and India duringBada Dashain and otherfestivals to worship theHindu goddessBhagawati.[6]
The historical name of the temple is Sakhada Bhagawati and the surrounding area is known as Sakhada.[7] The name 'Sakhada' is an abbreviation of the last affix of 'Shakra'. The name is derived from the King's nickname, Shakrasimhadeva who is also known as Shaktisimhadeva.[8] In modern times, the temple is known as Chinnamasta because thegoddess's head was missing.[6]
In 1097CE, theKarnat dynasty was established byNanyadeva inSimraungadh.[9][10]Nanyadeva, who was from Karnata, left his state and ran throughPataliputra and came to stay inBara district of Nepal. He made Nanapura,Champaran as his first capital but later he moved his capital toSimraungadh.[11][12] He was accompanied by lot of his followers includingHindu priests andKayastha community members.[13] King Nanyadeva's fifth generation descendant was King Shaktisimhadevaaka Shakrasimhadeva (r. 1285 to 1295 CE).[14] He was overthrown in acoup d'état by hisgeneral and ministerChadeshwar Thakur with the help of Think-tank council in 1295 CE.[15][16]
After he wasdethroned from his supremacy, he came to the present daySaptari district to live the rest of his life inVaanaprastha (forest life) after handing over thekingdom to his younger sonHarisimhadeva. Over time, the village was full ofjungle. He cleared the dense jungle with his men to build a temple and establish his goddess deity in his name asSakhreswari. The king's fort was nearby the temple, locally known asGadhi Gaachhi.[17]
The temple is locally known asSakhra Bhagawati orSakhreswari Bhagawati. Since the severed head of the goddess Bhagwati idol is there, it is known as Chinnamasta Bhagawati.[18]
TheTughlaq dynasty ruled theDelhi sultanate and most of Northern India from 1320 to 1413 CE. In 1324 CE, the founder of the dynasty andSultan of Delhi,Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq turned his attention towardsBengal.[19] They invaded Bengal and on his way back to Delhi, the ruler came to know about Simraungadh.[20] The Tughlaq armies cross through present-day Saptari to reach Simraungadh, which caused damage to this temple and idol of goddess Bhagawati.[21]
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