Raktakali Shakti Peetha

Raktakali Temple is a local Goddess shrine in Tengal Tole, Ward 18 of Kathmandu, near the older Naradevi area and Kathmandu Durbar Square. The deity is worshipped as Raktakali, a fierce form of Kali, and is also known in Newar tradition as Kulabhulu Ajima. The main sacred focus is a stone representation of the goddess, while the precinct includes images connected with Shiva and other deities. Worship follows Tantric traditions embedded in the religious life of the old city.

The Upa Shaktipeeth tradition used in this database associates the site with a drop of Sati’s blood. This attribution is recorded in the work of Banwari Lal Kanchhal and is also reflected in local accounts connected with the Swasthani narrative. No stable Bhairava name is established in the database sources, so one should not be added by inference. The shrine is not part of the most consistent classical Peetha lists and should be described as a regional or Upa Shaktipeeth tradition.

Local historical narratives connect Raktakali with the protection of old Kathmandu and with royal patronage or renovation during the Malla period. Special worship is associated with Navaratri and Vijaya Dashami, when ritual activity intensifies. Raktakali remains significant as a living neighbourhood shrine where Newar, Tantric and wider Shakta traditions meet.