A Trip to Chandithaan (Satau Chandi Kalika Temple), Syangja

Chandi Kalika Temple or commonly known as "Chandithaan" is a temple of Goddess Durga located high up in the hills of Syangja District. To reach the temple, you can hike for a few hours from Putalibazar (the headquarters of Syangja District) through the villages on the hills all while witnessing the mesmerising natural beauty on the way. If you aren't into hiking, you can also take a TukTuk (Tempo) ride for about an hour and descend for about 10 minutes from the stop to reach the temple.

It is quite common for history and religion to cross paths in Nepal and Chandithaan is no exception. History, religion and nature have come together to provide you with a one-of-a-kind experience on your trip to Chandithaan.

It is no secret that Nepal is home to the mighty Himalayas. And being the tallest mountain range in the entire globe, they receive the undivided attention of the entire world, leaving the hills completely overshadowed before their snow-capped might. However, a trip to Chandithaan can be a reminder of how truly mighty the hills of Nepal can be!

I would suggest you leave for Chandithaan a bit early in the morning, preferably at around 6 AM so that you can witness the Heavenly view and I do not use the word Heavenly as a mere adjective here. The view is truly heavenly as you stand atop the mighty hills of Western Nepal all while heaps of clouds are flowing below you. If you happen to miss the clouds because of late departure, you can still witness the true scale of the gargantuan hills you stand atop.

With all the sights to behold, you may forget that the trip to Chandithaan at its core, is a pilgrimage. As a person who grew up wandering through the city of temples – the Kathmandu Valley, the architecture of the Chandithaan temple isn't anything to marvel at. The temple is pretty basic and small but not without its legends.

As I have said before on this blog, the temple isn't very grand. Neither externally nor internally. However, amongst the not-so-eye-catching stuff within the temple is one easy-to-miss sculpture carved into the ground. Legends have it that the sculpture showed itself to the surface on its own.

About a 5-minute ascend from Chandithaan temple is another temple of Lord Shiva called Pashupati (different from the UNESCO World Heritage Site - Pashupati). From here you can get a view of what used to be the Baise Rajya (बाइसे राज्य) – the 22 principalities. After another hike of about 5 minutes from Pashupati temple, you reach an ancient fort and arsenal at an elevation of about 1,380 metres (~4,528 feet) above sea level.

The fort is a stone-built souvenir from history, probably a few centuries old. The fort is said to have witnessed some of the wars in the past. The columns beside the entrance have peephole-like openings that are smaller on the outside and larger on the inside. These openings are said to have been used to poke the incoming intruders with spears.

Along with the fort is an arsenal where instruments and weapons used during the wars are stored. There are drums and a variety of weapons such as turbars (तरबार) and khadgas (खड्ग) in the arsenal. The arsenal was open to the public when I visited a few years back but it was closed on my most recent visit. I assume the arsenal is open for public visit only during the time of Dashain when different animals are sacrificed in the name of the Goddess at the fort.

The fort is an ancient heritage, not very well preserved and clearly deserves more attention. The arsenal however looks relatively modern and was probably rebuilt or renovated at some point in time. 

The fort is the last stop of this trip to Chandithaan and by the time you reach to the fort, it's about time you'd wanna stop and eat something. You can find tiny shops, stalls and local vendors at the temple as well as near the fort. You can order in snacks and enjoy them along with mighty hills all while supporting local businesses.

If you ever happen to be around Syangja, allocating a few hours to hike to Chandithaan is worthwhile and personally recommended.