Thousands of devotees gather at Dadeldhura’s Ugratara Bhagwati temple for Maha Ashtami fair

Dadeldhura: A fair is being held at Ugratara Bhagwati Temple, a renowned religious Shaktipeeth in Nepal’s Far-Western region, on the occasion of Maha Ashtami.

A large number of devotees have gathered at the temple, located four kilometers north of the Dadeldhura district headquarters, to participate in the Ashtami fair. According to Tej Bahadur Sanki, Chairman of the Ugratara Area Development Committee, rituals during the fair include the sacrificial offering of buffaloes and goats. Elaborate worship ceremonies are also performed on Dashain. Devotees from all nine districts of the Far-Western region, as well as other areas, visit the temple to attend the fair.

Ugratara Bhagwati Temple is considered one of the nine Bhagwati temples in Nepal’s Far-Western region. According to legend, around 2,500 years ago, a local man from the Sanki community who lived in Latauli village, now part of Amargadhi Municipality-8, was plowing his field when the plowshare struck a stone, causing blood to flow from it. The Goddess then manifested and granted him a darshan, or divine vision.

Since that day, Ugratara Bhagwati has been worshipped in the forms of Mahagauri Durga and Kali. Members of the Sanki and Bhatta communities from Latauli village continue to serve as the temple’s priests.

The temple stands on a vast, open plateau atop a hill. According to Chairman Sanki, devotees do not need to descend into a valley to reach the temple, a distinctive feature that further enhances its significance.

A grand worship ceremony, known as Maha Puja, and a major fair are also held at Ugratara Bhagwati Temple on Kartik Shukla Purnima, the full moon day of the month of Kartik.

During the famous Deijat fair, held on the full moon day of Kartik’s bright fortnight, fierce battles once took place between warriors from different garkhas, or territorial divisions. The clashes were so intense that rivers of blood flowed. The site has since been known as Nwakhola, which literally means “Blood River.”