Maa Tara Chandi Temple is a

Hindu temple A Hindu temple, or ''mandir'' or ''koil'' in Indian languages, is a house, seat and body of divinity for Hindus. It is a structure designed to bring human beings and gods together through worship, sacrifice, and devotion.; Quote: "The Hind ...

dedicated to Maa

Shakti In Hinduism, especially Shaktism (a theological tradition of Hinduism), Shakti (Devanagari: शक्ति, IAST: Śakti; lit. "Energy, ability, strength, effort, power, capability") is the primordial cosmic energy, female in aspect, and rep ...

or Maa

Durga Durga ( sa, दुर्गा, ) is a major Hindu goddess, worshipped as a principal aspect of the mother goddess Mahadevi. She is associated with protection, strength, motherhood, destruction, and wars. Durga's legend centres around co ...

, located in

Sasaram, Bihar Sasaram ()sometimes also spelled as Sahasram, is an ancient historical city and a municipal corporation region in the Rohtas district of the Bihar States and union territories of India, state in East India, eastern India, with a history that goe ...

, India. It is one of the 51

Shakti Peetha The Shakti Pitha or the Shakti Peethas ( sa, शक्ति पीठ, , ''seat of Shakti'') are significant shrines and pilgrimage destinations in Shaktism, the goddess-centric denomination in Hinduism. The shrines are dedicated to various fo ...

History

Maa Tarachandi

, also called Maa Tarachandi, is the oldest and one of the most sacred temples of

Sasaram Sasaram ()sometimes also spelled as Sahasram, is an ancient historical city and a municipal corporation region in the Rohtas district of the Bihar state in eastern India, with a history that goes to thousands of years. During the prehistoric ag ...

. It is regarded as one of the 51 Siddha

Pithas in India. According to Pauranic legends, the "right eye" (Netra) of the corpse of

Sati Sati or SATI may refer to: Entertainment * ''Sati'' (film), a 1989 Bengali film by Aparna Sen and starring Shabana Azmi * ''Sati'' (novel), a 1990 novel by Christopher Pike *Sati (singer) (born 1976), Lithuanian singer *Sati, a character in ''Th ...

had fallen here when it was chopped off by Lord

Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within t ...

with his "

Sudarshan Chakra Sudarshana Chakra (Sanskrit: सुदर्शन चक्र, lit. "disc of auspicious vision", IAST: Sudarśana Chakra) is a spinning, celestial discus with 108 serrated edges, attributed to Vishnu and Krishna in the Hindu scriptures. The Sud ...

". The ancient temple, originally called Maa Sati, is believed to be the abode of the goddess Durga Maa Tara Chandi. The Kaimur Hills provide an access to many other attractions of Sasaram like Gupta Mahadev Temple, Parvati Temple, ancient caves,

Manjhar Kund The Manjhar Kund waterfalls also called the Manjhar K Waterfall is situated in Sasaram, the district headquarters of Rohtas District in Bihar. This waterfall is one of the finest falls in India. festival Manjhar Kund comes alive during Raksha B ...

and

Dhua Kund The Dhua Kund are the pair of waterfalls situated in the city of Sasaram Sasaram ()sometimes also spelled as Sahasram, is an ancient historical city and a municipal corporation region in the Rohtas district of the Bihar state in eastern India, ...

are two

waterfalls A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in several wa ...

of this town that have the capacity of generating large amounts of electricity.

Ancient

The right eye (netra) of Maa Sati is believed to have dropped here, so the name Tarachandi. It is also said that when Gautama Buddha came here after getting enlightenment, Maa Tarachandi had given him darshan in the form of a girl child. then he was directed to go to Sarnath, where Buddha had preached for the very first time. Known to give moksha, the mode of worship is satvik. It is said that Goddess Lakshmi showers those with prosperity who pray here.

Shakti Peetha

The Shakti Peetha (Sanskrit: शक्ति पीठ, Śakti Pīṭha, seat of Shakti is a place of worship consecrated ashes of the goddess Shakti or Sati, the female principal of Hinduism and the main deity of the Shakta sect. They are sprinkled throughout the Indian subcontinent.

Rituals

* Nitya Puja * Shriangar * Aarti * Bhog (Halwa puri) * Shayana Aarti

Location

There is a temple of Goddess Tarachandi, about from Sasaram two miles to the south, and an inscription of

Pratapdhavala Pratap Dhavala was Khayaravala king in 12th century. There are inscription of Pratapdhavala in Phulwaria, Tutrahi fall rock inscription of Vikram Samvat 1214, Tarachandi rock inscription of Vikram Samvat 1225. References {{Reflist 12th-cent ...

on the rock close to the temple of Chandi Devi. Hindus in large number assemble to worship the goddess. Dhuwan Kund, located about south-west of this town, is a nearby tourist attraction.

References

External links

{{Authority control Hindu temples in Bihar Shakti temples Hindu temples in Rohtas district