Gadhimai Temple (Bara)

Gadhimai Temple in Bariyarpur (Bariyarpur), Bara District, south-central Nepal, is a Hindu temple complex dedicated to Gadhimai Devi, an aspect of the goddess Kali. The site serves as a regional pilgrimage center, drawing many devotees from Nepal and neighboring India. It is primarily known as the location of the Gadhimai festival, a large quinquennial ritual event held at the temple grounds. The festival and temple are best known for ritual animal sacrifice performed as offerings to Gadhimai Devi. Multiple international and regional reports describe large-scale slaughter at the festival, which has historically drawn both devotees and widespread criticism from animal welfare campaigners. Press coverage has at times cited very large numbers of animals killed during particular festivals, figures that the sources note and that have been the subject of controversy. The temple's ritual practices are presented in the sources as devotional and traditional religious practice rather than as paranormal phenomena. No sources in the provided material report classic haunted-site phenomena (apparitions, poltergeists, ghosts) associated with Gadhimai Temple. The primary supernatural entity named in connection with the site is the goddess Gadhimai (Kali aspect), who is the focus of worship and ritual offerings at the temple. The site's significance is cultural and religious, and it has attracted international attention due to the ethical and political debates around the sacrificial rites.