Baglung Kalika Temple is situated two kilometers east of Baglung Bazar in the center of a forest near the Kaligandaki River. Inside this two-storeyed pagoda-style temple, there are images of Mahalaxmi, Mahakali, and Mahabhagwoti along with Shiva Linga. Near the western gate of the temple, there is an undividable flame in Agni Kunda’s sacred place of fire and rest houses. There are big bronze bells and idols of a lion outside the temple.
Baglung Kalika Temple of Baglung was built by King Pratapi Narayana Malla of Parbat who married the daughter of King Mukunda Sen of Palpa. The newly married wife of King Pratapi Narayan Malla brought an image of Bhagawoti of Palpa along with other gift materials. During her childhood, she was always playing with the child girl form of Bhagawoti of Palpa in her maternal home in Palpa.
When she was coming from her parent’s house of Palpa to her husband’s house Parbat in the midway between Palpa and Parbat in Baglung they stay in a forest for the night. On the next day when they cannot lift the stone image of Bhagawoti brought by the daughter of King Mukunda Sen from Palpa. Therefore King Pratapi Narayan Malla installed the image in the same place and build a small temple.
History of Baglung Kalika Temple
Once Lord Shiva and his consort playing the game of hide-and-seek in a forest near the maternal home of Parvati. At at time Lord Shiva saw Parvati surrounded in a row by many tigers. He called his consort Bhagawoti named the place Baglung. It is said that “Bag” means tiger and “lung” means in row or line.
Devotees of Baglung, Palpa, and Parbat visit worship Goddess Durga and sacrifice goat, cock, and duck during Mahaastami, Mahanavami, and Chaitra Dasain. There are four doors in this temple, the door of the eastern side remains always closed once as soon as the eastern door opened by the priest he saw a big serpent, therefore, he immediately closed the door forever.
Fears and festivals held here during Chaitra Ashtami to Dasmi. Peoples of Baglung celebrates this festival with great pomp and show for three days. They worship and sacrifice goat and cock. This Baglung Kalika Temple is also a picnic spot of Baglung and a beautiful place for sight-seers. There are tall trees of Salla (pine) near the temple.
Later King Mukunda Sen built a two-storeyed pagoda-style temple in Baglung instead of a small temple built by his son-in-law King Pratapi Narayan Malla of Parbat.
Once a woman of a place named Lung lived in illicit intercourse with her servant and had killed her own son, that he might not disclose the secret of her intimacy to her husband. She killed the boy, cut up the body dressed and cooked the flesh, and served it up for her husband’s supper. While eating the father discovered the tip of a human finger in the meat, and on questioning his wife, received no satisfactory reply. He began to suspect something amiss, and called for but was told that she had not seen him since that morning on thoroughly ransacking the house, the mangled corpse was found hidden in a corner of the house.
On being put to trial, the woman made a full confession. At that time the husband of the woman prayed to Goddess Bhagawoti to punish his cruel and unfaithful wife. Suddenly a tiger appeared there the tiger jumped upon the woman with a loud roar and killed her but refused to eat the flesh of such a cruel and unfaithful woman and disappeared from that place. Since that time the people of Lung called Baglung, ‘Bag, means tiger, and ‘Lung means that place, and build a temple of Bhagawoti in that place where the tiger was appeared and called the Bhagawoti, Bhagawoti of Baglung.
