Chandika Sthan is a

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

temple situated in

Munger Munger, formerly spelt as Monghyr, is a twin city and a Municipal Corporation situated in the Indian state of Bihar. It is the administrative headquarters of Munger district and Munger Division. Munger was one of the major cities in Eastern ...

, in the

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

Bihar Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...

. It is one of the fifty-one

Shakti Peethas The Shakta pithas, also called Shakti pithas or Sati pithas (, , ''seats of Shakti''), are significant shrines and pilgrimage destinations in Shaktism, the mother goddess denomination in Hinduism. The shrines are dedicated to various forms of Ad ...

, places of worship consecrated to the goddess

Shakti Shakti (Devanagari: शक्ति, IAST: Śakti; 'energy, ability, strength, effort, power, might, capability') in Hinduism, is the "Universal Power" that underlies and sustains all existence. Conceived as feminine in essence, Shakti refer ...

. On the Northeast corner of Munger, Chandika Sthan is just two kilometers away from the Munger town. Being a Siddhi-Peetha, Chandika Sthan is considered to be one of the most sacred and sanctified temples, as important as the Kamakshya temple near

Guwahati Guwahati () the largest city of the Indian state of Assam, and also the largest metropolis in northeastern India. Dispur, the capital of Assam, is in the circuit city region located within Guwahati and is the seat of the Government of Assam. Th ...

. Sati's left eye fell here and it is believed that those who worship here get rid of eye pain. It is one of the major

Hindu pilgrimage Unlike some other religions, Hindus are not required to undertake pilgrimages during their lifetime. However, most Hindus go on such journeys to numerous iconic sites including those below: India Char Dham (Famous Four Pilgrimage sites): Th ...

centre in Ang Pradesh region of Bihar.

Legend

Legendary tales and the Hindu folklore says that it was to save the world from the anger of

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

, as he took the corpse of Sati and wandered. The same legend says that the left eye of the Sati fell at Munger, which subsequently developed into a place of worship of the Divine Mother

Chandi Chandi (, ) or Chandika () is a Hindu deity. Chandika is a form of goddess Durga. She shares similarities with the Goddess Chamunda, not only in name but also in attributes and iconography. Due to these similarities, some consider them to ...

. Among the different Shakti peethas Chandika Sthan is famous for the cure of eye troubles, as per the traditional belief of the local folklore.

The Chandika Sthan Temple as a Shakti Peeth

The Chandika Sthan Temple is believed to be a Shakti Peetha, the divine shrine of

Shaktism Shaktism () is a major Hindu denomination in which the God in Hinduism, deity or metaphysics, metaphysical reality is considered metaphorically to be a woman. Shaktism involves a galaxy of goddesses, all regarded as different aspects, mani ...

. ''The mythology of Daksha Yaga and Sati's self-immolation and Shiva carrying the corpse of Sati Devi'' is the story of origin behind the Shakti Peetha shrines. It is believed that Sati Devi's left eye has fallen here.

King Karna

Another legend connected with Chandika Sthan is regarding King

Karna Karna (Sanskrit: कर्ण, IAST: ''Karṇa''), also known as Vasusena, Anga-Raja, Sutaputra and Radheya, is one of the major characters in the Hindu epic ''Mahābhārata''. He is the son of Surya (the Sun deity) and princess Kunti (later ...

of the ancient Indian kingdom of

Anga Anga was an ancient Indo-Aryan peoples, Indo-Aryan tribe of eastern South Asia whose existence is attested during the Iron Age in India, Iron Age. The members of the Aṅga tribe were called the Āṅgeyas. Counted among the "sixteen great na ...

, who used to worship Goddess Chandi Mata every day and in turn, the Goddess gave him 114 pounds (equivalent to 50 kilograms) of gold for distribution among the needy and downtrodden at Karanchaura, now a local name for the vicinity.

Location

Chandika Sthan is approximately a 1 km distance from ITC Ltd, Basudevpur,

. The nearest railway station is Munger Junction, and the nearest airport is

Deoghar Airport Deoghar Airport is a domestic airport serving Deoghar in the state of Jharkhand, India. It is situated approximately 12 kilometres (7.4 mi) from the city centre. The airport has been primarily developed to serve the region of North-Easter ...

preceding Patna Airport. On the Northeast corner of Munger, Chandika Sthan is just two kilometers away from the Munger Town.

References

{{Hindu temples in Bihar Shakta pithas Hindu temples in Bihar Munger district Shakti temples in Bihar