Patna. In the famous Maa Chandika temple in Munger district of Bihar, one eye of Maa Sati is worshiped and the devotees get relief from eye related disorders. The temple of Maa Chandika, situated in a hill cave on the banks of Ganga, about two kilometers east of Munger district headquarters, remains a center of ‘faith’ for millions of devotees.
It is believed that the left eye of Mother Sati had fallen at this place. People suffering from incurable eye diseases come here to worship and take kajal from here. People believe that this kajal cures eye problems. Devotees suffering from eye diseases come to Chandika temple with the hope of getting relief from eye diseases.
There is a social belief that no devotee returns disappointed. Devotees from every corner of the state reach this temple to fulfill their wish of having children and other desires of life. It is believed that the kajal of this temple cures all types of eye problems. Suffering devotees from far and wide come here to buy kajal from the temple. During Navratri-puja till Navami, crowd of devotees is seen in this temple.
Devotees stand in queue and offer water on the eyes of Maa Chandika with this arrangement. There are also separate temples of Lord Shankar, Mata Parvati, nine planetary deities, Maa Kali and Maa Santoshi and Lord Hanuman in the temple, where devotees worship- Let’s worship. On normal days, a large number of devotees reach the temple every Tuesday. There is a crematorium to the east and west of the temple. For this reason this temple is also known as ‘Shamshan Chandika’. During Navratri puja, Tantrikas also gather here for Tantra Siddhi. The history of this temple is also said to be related to the Mahabharata period.
There is a legend that King Karna of Anga country was a devotee of Mother Chandika and used to jump into the cauldron of boiling oil every day. In this way, he used to worship Mother Chandika by sacrificing his life. Mother was extremely pleased with his sacrifice and every day she brought King Karna back to life. Apart from this, mother also gave a quarter of a pound of gold to Karna. King Karna used to take that gold to Karna Chaada of Munger and distribute it among the poor. King Vikramaditya of Ujjain got information about this. One day King Vikramaditya disguised himself and reached Anga country.
He saw that Maharaja Karna, after taking a bath in the Ganges during Brahma Muhurta, jumps into the cauldron of boiling oil kept in front of Mother Chandika and the Mother revives him by sprinkling nectar on his skeleton body. Mother also gave him one and a quarter maund of gold as a reward. One day, King Vikramaditya secretly reached the temple before the arrival of King Karna and jumped into the cauldron of boiling oil. Later, like every day, the mother brought him back to life.
He committed suicide by jumping into the cauldron three times in a row and the Mother brought him back to life each time. For the fourth time the mother stopped him and asked him to ask for a groom. King Vikramaditya asked his mother for a bag of gold and an nectar pot. It is believed that after giving both the things, the Mother overturned the cauldron kept there and sat inside it.
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