Gadhimai Temple

The Gadhimai Temple at Bariyarpur in Bara district is dedicated to Gadhimai, a form of the power-goddess Kali. It is the centre of the Gadhimai Mela, held every five years, which has historically drawn enormous crowds of devotees from Nepal and northern India.

The temple's tradition is said to be roughly three centuries old, originating with a local devotee's vision of the goddess. The five-yearly festival became famous — and controversial — for mass animal sacrifice; in recent years reform efforts and court directions have pushed to reduce the scale of sacrifice.

Gadhimai is one of the most significant Madhesh-region goddess shrines and a powerful expression of cross-border Maithili-Bhojpuri devotional culture, while also being at the centre of contemporary debates on animal welfare and ritual reform.

The principal shrine is a modest walled temple set within a very large open sacrificial and fairground area that fills with temporary structures during the mela; the significance lies in the gathering and the goddess rather than monumental architecture.

Current condition: Active; festival held every five years

Managed by a temple trust; the festival is the subject of ongoing reform around animal sacrifice and crowd safety.