Mythological legend and religious importance play an important role in the formation of Shakti Peeth. You can find 13 of the 51 Shakti Peeth in West Bengal itself. West Bengal is rich when it comes to religion and culture. Furthermore these Shakti Peeth in West Bengal are revered shrines of Goddess Shakti that focus on the female power. The Mother Goddess and her predominant power is celebrated all through in West Bengal. So if you are interested to check out the Shakti Peeth in West Bengal list then keep on reading this article. It will be a helpful article as I will mention important details about the Shakti Peeth in West Bengal.
13 Shakti Peeth in West Bengal
How many Shakti Peeth in West Bengal?
Total Shakti Peeth in West Bengal is 13. These temples are revered Shakti shrines that a lot of people visit on a daily basis. It is believed that once Devi Sati attended a Yajna arranged by her father Daksha against Lord Shiva’s wishes. But there she was badly humiliated by Daksha and later even Lord Shiva was humiliated. Devi Sati could not bear the humiliation of her husband Lord Shiva and therefore she decided to sacrifice herself into the fire of the Yajna. When Lord Shiva came to know about this he was furious with the turn of events. Furthermore he started doing Tandav with the corpse of Devi Sati which could have ended the whole world. To save the world Lord Vishnu then sent his Sudarshan Chakra to cut the body of Devi Sati.
Every place where Devi Sati’s body parts fell the Sati Peeth or Shakti Peeth were created. In total there are 51 of these Shakti Peeth. Out of that 51, you will find 13 of these temples in West Bengal itself which are important sites of pilgrimage.
Attahas Temple
Location: Dakshindihi, Labhpur, Birbhum, West Bengal
Body Part of Goddess: Lips
Shakti form: Phullara
Bhairava form: Vishvesh
In a small village in Birbhum district in West Bengal, lies the Attahas Temple. It is one of the 51 Shakti Peeth in West Bengal and is a much revered shrine. Located on the banks of river Ishani the temple lies on the Labhpur Ahmedpur Road at a distance of about 15 km. Furthermore the deity here is worshipped as Goddess Phullara or Phullora that literally means blooming. Here the deity of the Goddess is a stone deity that is around fifteen feet long. It is further believed that the lower lip of Devi Sati fell here. Attahas literally means a loud profound laughter.
Previously the site also used to have a large pond. It is believed that when Lord Rama needed 108 lotuses for the worship of Goddess Durga, Lord Hanuman collected them from this pond. Even though not very extravagant in appearance the temple here is aesthetically done up. The whole area is very neat and clean. Daily puja rituals are done here.
Bahula Temple
Location: Ketugram Ambalgram Road, Ketugram, Burdwan, West Bengal
Body part of Goddess: Left arm
Shakti form: Bahula
Bhairava form: Bhiruk
Located on the banks of the Ajay river at Ketugram, Bahula Temple is another important Shakti Peeth in West Bengal. This is an ancient temple that looks architecturally beautiful. There is a large courtyard just in front of the garbhagriha with red flooring done. Bahu in Sanskrit means arm and Bahula refers to lavishness or prosperity. Furthermore the devotees of the Goddess also believe that no one leaves the temple empty handed if they pray with all their heart. Here the Goddess is worshipped along with Mahadev in Bhiruk form which means someone with the highest level of meditation or Sarvasiddhayak.
Bakreshwar
Location: Bakreshwar, Birbhum, West Bengal
Body part of Goddess: Portion between eyebrows
Shakti form: Mahishmardini
Bhairava form: Bakranath
Located on the banks of Paaphra River, this is one of the powerful Shakti Peeth in West Bengal. A revered Shakti shrine, the Goddess here is worshipped as the destroyer of Mahishasura and is known as Mahishmardini. Furthermore the Paaphra River is believed to be the remover of all sorts of sins. A lot of hot springs are also found near the temple like Agni Kund, Surya Kund, Brahma Kund, Jibat Kund. The temple is also architecturally beautiful and built in elegant Oriya style of architecture. Some ancient paintings of the Goddess have been preserved here by the Archaeological Survey of India.
Kalighat Temple
Location: Anami Sangha, Kalighat, Kolkata, West Bengal
Body part of Goddess: Right toes
Shakti form: Kalika
Bhairava form: Nakuleshwar
One of the most revered Shakti temples, Kalighat is one of the Shakti Peeth in West Bengal. It is believed that the temple existed from the time of Chandragupta Maurya II. However the present structure was built in the year 1809. One of the most important aspects of this temple is the idol of Goddess Kali. She is worshipped in a form with three huge eyes and long protruding tongue along with 4 arms. Furthermore this is one of the popular sites of pilgrimage where thousands of devotees visit to offer their prayers on a daily basis.
Kiriteswari Temple
Location: Damrul Village, Nabagram, Berhampore, Murshidabad, West Bengal
Body part of Goddess: Crown
Shakti form: Vimla
Bhairava form: Sangbart/ Sambarta
One of the revered Shakti Peeth in West Bengal the Kiriteswari Temple is a famous site of pilgrimage. It is believed that the crown or Kirit or Mukut of the Goddess fell here. Also known as the Mukuteshwari Temple, this ancient temple is situated in the Kiritkona Village in Murshidabad. Furthermore this Shakti peeth is considered as Upapeet as no body part of the Goddess fell here. Instead a part of her ornament or jewellery fell here.
Kankalitala Temple
Location: Bolpur Subdivision, Birbhum, West Bengal
Body part of Goddess: Waist
Shakti form: Devgarbha
Bhairava form: Ruru
This is yet another Shakti Peeth in West Bengal where it is believed that the waist of Devi Sati fell. The temple of the Goddess here is very simple and unadorned. Also inside the temple there is no deity made of clay or metal, but there is a painting of the Goddess. However, even more than the temple, what is more important here is the Kund or Holy Pond just beside the temple. It is believed that the Waist of Goddess Sati fell here and the water is considered holy here.
Tristrota Temple
Location: Shalbari Village, Falakata, Jalpaiguri, West Bengal
Body part of Goddess: Left leg
Shakti form: Bhraamari
Bhairava form: Ishwar
Located on the banks of Teesta River the Tristrota Temple is a revered Shakti Peeth in West Bengal. It is believed that once there was a demon known as Arunasura who was troubling the Devas. At one point the wives of the Devas could not take the torture anymore. Furthermore they went to Devi Sati for some respite. In turn Devi Sati turned herself into numerous bees and those bees finally killed the demon. From there the Goddess is worshipped as Maa Bhraamari.
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Nandikeshwari Temple
Location: Mayurakhshi Sarani, Sainthia, Birbhum, West Bengal
Body part of Goddess: Necklace
Shakti form: Nandini
Bhairava form: Nandikeshwar
This temple located on the bank of Mayurakshi River is one of the major Shakti Peeth in West Bengal. It is an ancient temple believed to be built in 1320. Here the deity is a Black stone which is now red in colour as the devotees put Sindoor on it. Furthermore the idol has three golden eyes and a silver crown. The Goddess here got its name from Nandi the ardent follower of Lord Shiva.
Ujani Temple
Location: Ujani Village, Guskara, Burdwan, West Bengal
Body part of Goddess: Right wrist
Shakti form: Mangal Chandika
Bhairava form: Kapilambar
It is believed that the right wrist of the Goddess fell here and therefore this Shakti peeth in West Bengal was built. The temple here is simple with a courtyard in front. Regular rituals are followed here every day and a lot of devotees visit here on a daily basis.
Vibhas
Location: Tamluk
Body part of Goddess: Left ankle
Shakti form: Kapalini
Bhairava form: Sarvanand
Vibhas Shakti Peeth also known as the Bhimakali Temple is an important Shakti peeth in West Bengal. Here the Goddess is worshipped in Bhimarupa form or Kapalini form. Furthermore the temple has a large Shiv Linga that is worshipped here. Bhima Mela held in the Chaitra month is one of the important celebrations here.
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Ratnavali
Location: Krishna Nagar, Khanakul, Hooghly, West Bengal
Body part of Goddess: Right Shoulder
Shakti form: Kumari
Bhairava form: Shiva
There is however some confusion regarding the location where the right shoulder of the Goddess fell. According to some the location is in Chennai. However this Ratnavali temple is located in the Hooghly district of West Bengal and is considered an important Shakti Peeth in West Bengal. The temple is also known as the Anandamayee Temple and the Goddess is worshipped here in Kumari form.
Nalateswari Temple
Location: Parbati Tola Road, Nalhati, Birbhum, West Bengal
Body part of Goddess: Throat
Shakti form: Kalika Devi
Bhairava form: Yogesh
This is another important Shakti Peeth in West Bengal located in the Birbhum District. It is believed that the Udarnali or Throat Pipe of the Goddess fell here that gave rise to this temple. Furthermore it is believed that below the original idol here the throat of the Mother Goddess lies. No matter how much water is poured here it neither overflows nor gets dried down here.
Jogadhya
Location: Khirgram, Burdwan, West Bengal
Body part of the Goddess: Great Toe
Shakti form: Jugaadya
Bhairava form: Ksheer Khandak
One of the most important Shakti Peeth in West Bengal there are two temples here. One is an old brick temple that was made around the 11th century. And the other one is the new temple built in 2005. Furthermore the new temple is built in the middle of a pond known as Khsirdighi. Both the idols in both the temples are made of Kashti Stones. The old idol here is about 600 years old while the new one is around 180 years old.
Wrapping Up!
Now that you know about all the 13 Shakti Peeth in West Bengal, definitely visit them and you will be enriched with a lot of peace and tranquility. Furthermore these temples are ancient and each of them holds a lot of importance attached to them. They have history attached to it and each temple has its distinct style of architecture which is quite appreciable. You can only understand the importance attached to these temples if you visit here. So do not miss out on visiting these. Also do let me know if this article on the Shakti Peeth in West Bengal is helpful for you.
