Sri Bhadrakali Temple Itkhori

Sri Bhadrakali Temple- Itkhori

Sri Bhadrakali Temple at Itkhori, Chatra is one of the many famous Goddess temples around Ranchi in Jharkhand.
Itkhori is situated at the confluence of two rivers named ‘Mahane’ and ‘Baksa’.This temple of Maa Bhadrakali has been a famous place of worship of Goddess of “Shakti” from time unknown.

On the basis of the inscriptions in Brahmi script near the feet of Maa Bhadrakali idol, it is said that it has been made during tenth to the eleventh century by the orders of King Mahendra Pal who was the king of Bengal and Magadh.
Maa Bhadrakali is in the gentle form of Maa Mangala Gauri in the temple. Initially, there was an eight-handed idol of Goddess Durga beside the Bhadrakali idol but in 1968 both were stolen. Maa Bhadrakali’s idol was recovered but not the other one.The Idol of Maa Bhadrakali is made of either ‘Gomed’ stone or ‘Ashtadhatu’ and is a great quality artwork.

This place is related to Ramayana and Mahabharata era. Ram, Laxman, and Sita had come and stayed for some time here during exile. It is also said that King Yudhisthir had also stayed here during his exile.

Legend

There was a very powerful asura named Shankhchud who was blessed by Vishnu that no woman will kill him. When gods lost their patience over his terror, the commander of gods Kartikeya went to fight him. But Kartikeya fell on the ground by Shankhchud’s attack. Seeing this the Goddess “Adishakti” took a fierce form of Bhadrakali and fought him but could not defeat him. So she began to swallow the asuras in the battlefield and in the last Shiva destroyed Shankhchud with his Trident.

The worship of Maa Bhadrakali is complete only with the worship of Lord Shiva, so there is an open ‘Shivalaya’ beside the main temple.