Ugratara Temple in Dadeldhura starts drawing crowd of devotees

By Pushkar Bhandari,Dadeldhura, Oct. 17: Every year during Dashain, a significant number of devotees visit the Ugratara Temple in Sudurpaschim Province. 

It is one of the nine Bhagwati Temples in the province. Nepal Government has also enlisted the temple among 100 new tourist destinations to promote internal tourism. 

It is said that about 2,500 years ago, in Latauti of Amargadhi Municipality-8, a farm began to bleed when the farmers ploughed it. 

The bleeding did not stop even after the farmers tried covering it with soil. Later, when a farmer used the pudding which he had brought for lunch to cover the blood, it suddenly stopped.

After that Goddess Ugratara is said to have emerged at the spot.  Since then, the place is worshiped as a holy place where the goddess Ugratara appeared in the form of Mahagauri Durga and Kali.

Priests of Sanki and Bhatta castes of Latauti have been working as priests in the temple. On the eighth day of the Dashain, Mahaashtami, a grand worship and feast is organised in the temple. 

The feast begins after the Sanki community permits the Kaini community (traditionally known as Parki community) of Tiladi Pokhara in Amargadhi Municipality to offer animal sacrifice. 

Tej Bahadur Sanki, chairman of Ugratara Area Development Committee, said that the meat of the sacrificed buffalos is distributed among Kaini community. He said that people offer animal sacrifices at the temple when their wishes come true. 

According to Sanki, on Mahaashtami day, the people make animal sacrifices at the temple and perform special puja on Vijaya Dashami. Similarly, Maha Puja is also performed on Kojagrat Purnima.