Kalika Mata Temple

According to mythology, during Daksha's yagna (sacrifice) Shiva was the only god who was not invited. Sati could not bear the insult to her husband and she plunged into the the sacrificial fire. Shiva was furious and carrying Sati's body danced the Tandava or dance of destruction. All the gods in desperation requested Lord Vishnu to stop this destruction. So  Vishnu using his weapon the Sudarshana Chakra cut Satis body into several pieces.Wherever a part of her body fell became a Shakti Peetha. At all the Shakti Peethas, the goddesses' consort is Bhairava ( Shiva )

It is belived that in this Hindu temple Sati's toe fell. This temple consists of three images of the Goddess.  Goddess Kalika Mata in the centre, flanked on the right by Kali  and on the left by Bahucara Mata. In this Indian temple there is a separate shrine for Sadanandsha Pir, a Muslim saint who is worshipped by the local people.On Chitra Pournami a great fair is held and a huge number of devotees attend.This Hindu temple is one of the famous Shakthi Peethas in India. The temple complex is divided into two parts. The upper shrine is domed like a  Muslim shrine. The ground floor contains the Kalika Mata shrine.Kalika Mata temple history dates back to the 10th century and 11th centuries and hence it is the oldest temple in this region. Originally, goddess Kalika Mata was worshipped by the local Patidar, Koli and Bhil community, until she was later invoked and idol of the goddess was installed by Vishvamitra on Pavagadh hill, where she is worshipped as an incarnation of Goddess Durga or Chandi.

According to a folklore, during Navratri celebration, goddess took the form of a beautiful woman and danced in a Garba. The king saw her with a dirty look. She tried hard to explain to him who she was but the king did not listen. Goddess Kalika became angry at King and cursed him that the town will destroy. Later, the king of Khandesh (Jalgaon), Maharashtra invited goddess to come at Khandesh and stay there.

Kalika Mata is also worshipped by the local Adivasi community. The temple is believed to be the residence of Goddess Kali and is one of the Shakti Peethas. Legend says that Kalika Mata Temple is the site where the toe of goddess Sati had dropped after being chopped by Lord Vishnu’s Sudarshan Chakra.

 The temple is prime pilgrimage centre in Gujarat which attracts large numbers of devotees every year. Devotees visit the temple and "worship Kalika Mata by beating bell-metal symbols. A fair is held every year at the temple on Chaitra Sud Ashtami. On the full moon of Chaitra month and on the occasion of Dussehra, thousands of devotees throng the temple to seek blessings of Kalika Mata.This is the sacred place to visit in the Ratlam. The local peoples have great believe on the deity because the goddess helps to fulfill the desires of its devotees. The idol of Kalika Mata is very beautiful standing in front of the idol will fill you with the sense of power or ‘shakti’ into your soul. There is huge crowd of devotees in the temple on the nine days of the navratri. A big fair is also held in and around of the temple premises. Inside the temple there are 3 Goddess and the middle one is the most gorgeous and impressive. This is the most visited place in the Ratlam. The kalika mata is the kuldevi of the many tribes of this district. So the effect of this deity is very much in the local region of the Ratlam.This temple is situated near Rambagh or cremation ground of Ambala and has 6-feet tall statue of Kali Mata installed here. The temple has been decked up with figurines of birds and animals and these depict the culture of the medieval times.By the name, it indicates that the temple is made for goddess Kali. The temple is the oldest one in the area and dates from the 10th to 11th centuries. As the temple is located in India, where people blindly worship their gods, the temple receives hundreds and thousands of Hindu pilgrims year round. Hindu pilgrims are visiting this temple from past many years, even before the development of Champaner as a foremost city. To reach to the summit and worship at the temple, you need to walk for five kilometres along the jungle footpath towards the top of the hill. Or else, to reach the summit a cable car is operated all the time that will pull you until the summit.

The cable car functions from the midway point and is the last place that could be accessible by road. The temple boasts huge fortifications as well as an open veranda that could be found in the front along with two different altars for sacrifices. Besides this, a chain of lights makes the place more beautiful that are used for special occasions. Inside the sanctum, the idol of Kalika Mata could be found with only head called as the Mukhwato and is painted in red color. The temple also has full idols of Mahakali; own form of goddess Kali, as well as yantras of Bahuchara. While exploring this temple, you will be fascinated to see the views from the top. Watching down from the top, you will be amazed of the greenery around with smog all around.Set at the top of the Pavagadh Hill, the Kalika Mata Temple is an amazing religious destination, where pilgrims visit from far and near. The temple overlooks the other-worldly scene that highlights the city of pre-Moghal Empire and offers great sights to explore. Kalika Mata Temple is located in Vadodara, India, and is situated 762 metres above the sea level.Today, the temple has become a well-known tourist destination of India, where attractive sights and beautiful ancient temple structure, both rejuvenates people visiting here. Down the hill, there is one more temple that is bordered by a river and gives spectacular reflections of the temple and the hill. As the site receives huge amount of pilgrims, it is well managed to safeguard the life of people. At the top, the temple is bordered with railings so that while looking down one can take the support of the railings and do not go beyond it. Traveling through the cable car will offer you amazing viewing opportunities and you could hardly see the world outside, as it is blocked by the smog. If you explore the place at morning, the site is entirely filled with rising smog and beautiful scenery around.

The temple remains open from very early to quite late at night, as pilgrims from far and close visit the temple and worship the goddess Kali. While traveling for long, people get exhausted and so they need a place to take rest and lie down. This need is fulfilled by the Machi Haveli. Machi Haveli is actually the rest house, which remains available for pilgrims. At the site, you will get everything, which was earlier not available whether it is the rest house, or a shop, or the facilities like cable car. In fact, the route made to climb the top of the mountain was also not made properly, as it is available today.

This ancient temple is a great example of early architectures. So do not miss any area of this site, as all of great importance. You can reach at this destination by road. From Vadodara, you can drive for 45 kilometres to reach Champaner. Take a bus or any private vehicle to reach to your destination. Well, the best option to reach to this temple is by hiring a car from Vadodara to Champaner to Pavagadh. While driving all the way, the scenes around will fascinate you a lot.The presiding deity of this temple is Goddess Kalika Mata, who is red in color, portrayed in the form of a head called as mukhwato and she is worshipped as a form of Goddess Durga. Kalika Mata Temple contains three main deities:

1. Goddess Kalika Mata, the main deity (central image)
2. Goddess Kali, to the right Goddess Kalika Mata
3. Bahucharamata, to the left of Goddess Kalika Mata

Kalika Mata Temple is said to be one of the Adi Shakti Pitha Temples. The Shakti Pitha is a place of worship to goddess Shakti also called goddess Sati, the main deity. It is said that the four major Shakti Pithas are created from the limbs of Goddess Sati‘s corpse. Apart from the following four Shakti Pithas, there are 52 other famous Pithas found from the religious books. The body part or ornament of Goddess Shakti that fell to the earth, is the place where the Adi Shakti temples are built. And it is said that the toe of goddess Sati have fell at this place, where the Kalika Mata Temple has been built. It is the oldest and the most celebrated temple in the vicinity of the Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park .A long flight of steps leads one to this temple as it is located at a cliff at quite an altitude in between the dense forests near Halol.

As one enters the temple, one can see large representations of three Goddesses staring at them in all their might. The one in the centre is that of Kalika Mata, the left one gives an image of Bahucharamata and the one of the right gives us a glance at Goddess Kali.