Tripura Sundari (Tripura Sundari - Dhading)

The temple of Tripura Sundari Mai (Salyankoti Mai) located in Salyankot of Tripura Sundari Rural Municipality of Dhading district is an historical and extremely powerful Shakti Peetha of Nepal.

History and Prithvi Narayan Shah

This temple is considered more than 450 years old. There is a history that Badamaharajadhiraja Prithvi Narayan Shah came to this temple and took the blessings of the Goddess before conquering Nuwakot and the Kathmandu Valley during the unification of Nepal. It is said that since the brilliance of the Goddess was unbearable and no one should see her directly, he performed worship from the door of the temple. This Shakti Peetha is believed to have played a big spiritual role in the success of the unification campaign.

Unique Priest Tradition

The most unique feature of this temple is that the main priest here is a person from the Ranamagar community. Ranamagars have been serving and worshipping the Goddess for generations, which presents a unique example of Nepal's religious and ethnic tolerance. Along with the Ranamagar priest, Brahmins of Sapkota and Timalsina surnames also work as assistant priests and main priests (mool purohit).

Architecture and Form

This temple does not look like other common temples of pagoda or shikhar style but looks like a common residential house. The idol of the Goddess is kept secretly inside a box (petaro), which is prohibited for the general public to see except for the priest.

Jatra and Nwagi Tradition

There is a unique tradition in this region of moving the Goddess between three different temples at various times of the year:

1. Upper Temple (Salyankot): Main residence of the Goddess.
2. Dashain Ghar: Place where she is kept for 15 days during the time of Bada Dashain.
3. Lower Temple (Salyanbesi): She is brought down to the valley (besi) in the month of Mangsir to eat 'Nwagi'. The Nwagi Jatra celebrated in Mangsir is the largest festival here. There is a custom for locals to eat new rice (Nwagi) only after offering it to the Goddess after the new paddy ripens. Thousands of devotees gather when the priests carry the Goddess in a box on their shoulders down to the valley.