Kankalita Temple

Overview

In Bolpur subdivision of Birbhum district, Kankalitala is a temple town in the Indian state of West Bengal.It is one of the Shakthi Peethas where the bones of goddess Parvati fell which is the Kakalitala Town of present day.

About The Temple

Natmandir is the place where visitors sit and pray in a hall with high raised pillars . It is three bays wide and four bays long.The Shivalingam is made of hard black stone and referred as “ Shambhu Baba” or “Ruru Bhairav “
Such is the prominence of this Temple that it is a part of the most important Hindu-pilgrimage circuit of India.

About The Deity

Goddess Parvati is the presiding deity of the Kankalitala Temple.

Legend and stories

According to a legend, Goddess Sati burnt herself alive in a Yagna,performed by her father Daksha. Distressed Lord Shiva, picked the corpse of Sati on his shoulder and started his Taandav dance. This horrified all deities in the heaven as this could lead to holocaust. The magnitude of the situation urged Lord Vishnu to unleash his Chakra and cut Goddess Sati's body into 52 pieces. It is believed that Devi Sati's bones have fallen here.

Festivals

The following are the festivals celebrated in the temple- Winter Navaratras, Annakuta, Makar Sankranti, Holi, Vijaya Dashami or Dusshera, Deepawali, Sharad Poornima, Shiva Ratri, Holi and Spring Navaratras.
Dusshera and Navaratri are regarded as the most auspicious time to visit the temple

Rituals

Unlike other Shakti Peethas, here Goddess Sati's organs are not reverentially placed in the sanctum but are said to be submerged in a Kund or a square tank that is located close to the central temple and lead to by a flight of stairs on each side. Devotees, mostly women, descend down to the level of the venerable tank and take the sacred water in their palm and rub it on their forehead.
On the other side of the temple is a sacred tree on which are hung numerous marigold wreaths and rounded stones tied via threads, a Bengali tradition to pray for pregnancy and safe childbirth.

Time required for sightseeing

45 min

Accessibility

Airport

The Temple can be reached through nearest Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose international Airport about 153 Kms) away. This is well connected with regular domestic flights to Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and other metropolitan cities.

Rail

The shrine can also be accessed by taking train to Bolpur/Rajarhat and from bus there on. Bolpur is the nearest railway station.

Road

Buses are available for Kankalitala from Siuri, Rajarhat and Bolpur divisions of Bankura district. Buses ply on the Bolpur-Labhpur route.