CHANDIKA WELL, Kacha Kanthi
24.883300,92.866700
Description
A man-made sacred well or pit used for human sacrifice to the goddess Chandi or Chandika = Kali, in the temple sacred to Kacha Kanthi in the town of Udarband / Udharband (note 1). CULTURAL HISTORY: FISHER (1840: 832-833) notes the worship of irascible female spirits and the practice of Tantra magic are imputations, which derive some countenance from the existing worship of »Ramchundi« who is adored under the symbol of a sword called Rana Chandi, religiously preserved in the Rajbarri. GAIT (1898: 57): One of the principal places in »Kachar« (Cachar), where human sacrifices where offered (note 2), was »the temple of Kacha Kanti near the present Udharband bazar, and the remains of a masonry well, into wwhich the heads were thrown, is still to be seen.« HEINE GELDERN (1917: 37): The Kacha Kanthi temple at Udharband was one of the most important sacrifice sites and it is still possible to see the remnants of a walled well in which the heads of the victims were thrown (note 3).
NOTE 1: Udarband N24°53': E92°52' (nima.mil/geonames accessed 16.11.2003) is shown on AMS sheet NG46-14 Sylhet (U502 series, 1960 edition) and on the India Road Atlas (Eicher Goodearth 2006: 46 C4). NOTE 2: »In Kachar, there is the legend that Raja Nirbhar Narayana, the 45th Kachari king, according to the traditional list of kings, was a very pious man. One day, while meditating in the temple, he heard a voice which said that if he would go to the river next morning at daybreak and catch hold fearlessly whatever he might find there, he would obtain the object of his worship in living form. On proceeding to the river, the kinf saw aa poisonous snake simming towards him; he caught hold of it, whereupon it tisted around his arm, and the king being alarmed, tried to shake it off. On this, the snake turned into a sword, and the king took it to the temple, here he lamented the loss which he had sustained through his fears. Soon he heard a voice which told him that, owing to his timidity, the object of his worship had assumed the form of a sord; he was told to name it "Rana Chandi", to worship it regularly, and to offer human sacrifices to it annually« (GAIT 1898: 57). NOTE 3: »Einer der wichtigsten Opferplätze war der Tempel der Kacha Kanthi in Udharband. Dort kann man noch jetzt die Überreste eines gemauerten Brunnens sehen, in den die Köpfe der Opfer geworfen wurden« (HEINE GELDERN 1917: 37).
Documents
Bibliography 25/03/2016- Fisher 1840; Gait, Edward Albert 1898; Heine Geldern, Robert 1917.
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21.1 | BINNAKANDI TUNNEL | ||
| 31.1 | KHNAI, Umkyrpong (Krem) | ||
| 40.3 | RANACHANDI ROCK TEMPLE | ||
| 40.3 | MAHUR TUNNEL | ||
| 50.5 | SIEMI (Cave of the) | ||
| 53.9 | MEMJUBEL POT-LIKE OBJECTS | ||
| 55.3 | MAIBONG (Cave at) | ||
| 56.1 | KHALANG (Krem) | ||
| 56.3 | SARONG, Saipong, Saipung (Caves near) |