Temple

Kankalitala is a temple-town in Birbhum-Murshidabad of West Bengal. It is one of the fifty-one Shakti Peethas on the banks of Kopai River. It is believed that the waist of Devi Sati fell at this pious village of Bengal to create a Shakti-Peeth. The place is named "Kankali"- that comes from the Bengali word "kanal" means Skeleton because the bones of the Devi fell at this place. Per ancient beliefs, the body parts of Sati fell here, with a great force for which the kund is created. Adjacent to the Kund, the temple of Devi Parvathi has been erected. Devotees believe that the body parts of the Devi are still there under the pond. The exact date of the origin of this temple is not found.

Legend

Apart from the legendary history of the creation of the Shakti-Peeth temple after Sati's self-immolation at Dakshya's Yajna, the legend of the abominable Kala Pahar is also famous surrounding the temple of Kankalitala in Bolpur. Per legend, the relentless Kala Pahar, a Muslim General destroyed the upward base of the syambhu shiva lingam at this temple in the 16th century when Bengal was under the rule of the Afghan Pathan warlord Sulaiman Khan Karrani during reign of the Mogul Ruler Akbar. This Kala Pahar believed in destroying the ancient shrines of the Hindus. The monstrous general also destructed the first temple of Kamakhya Devi in Assam.

This temple is part of the famous Shaktipeetha Darshan Yatra of West Bengal.

Architecture

This is perhaps the simplest of all Shakti-Peeths. The unardorned edficice with a pyramidical construction houses a portrait of Goddess Parvathi. Though, the picture resembles Goddess Kali, but over the ages, She is worshipped as Goddess Parvathi. The deity is accompanied by Her dinive consort Shambhu Baba or Ruru Bhairav, consecrated as a Shiva Lingam inside the Shiva Temple close to the entrance of the temple complex. The floors are paved with marble. But the Shiva lingam is placed under the ground and devotees have to pour water and offerings on the pit of the broken Lingam. Once the lingam used to be huge but during the muslim invasion during the 16th century by the notorious Kala Pahar, the lingam was broken.  The temple complex houses a serene pond by the temple. This is called the temple Kunda, where the body remains of Devi Sati fell. The Terracotta motifs at the entrance of the Kankalitala Temple entice visitors. If devotees want, they can also explore the harikath where the animal sacrifice is offered to the Goddess as well as the cremetorium where the corpses are burnt on pyre.


Picture Courtesy: www.wikimapia.org

Darsan Info

From 6:00 AM to 8:00 PM, the devotees can visit the temple. Like other Shaki-Peeths, Tuesdays and Saturdays are important days for worshipping the deity.

Darsan Dresscode

No Dresscode is required.

Famous Festival

January - Makar Sankranti            
February - Shiv Ratri            
March -    Holi            
April -    Spring Navratri            
May -    Ratha Yatra            
July -    Sawan Puja            
October - Sharad Poornima, Durga Puja Dashami/Dusshera        
November - Kali Puja, Diwali, Annakuta, Winter Navratri

Culture

Known to be the 'mini-India' for its diverse geographical as well as cultural variations, West Bengal is also popular for housing over 14 shakti peeths. Coming back to the culture of this eastern state of India, since prior and the post-partition times, Bengal is famous for its enriched culture. From Darjeeling to the Sundarbans, and from Puruliya to the 'Rarh' area of Birbhum- each of the provinces has a unique cultural approach. Starting from the Bengali music, dance, theater, literature, art, and notwithstanding the mouthwatering cuisine- West Bengal has successfully created a mark for its exclusive aesthetics in the world panorama.

Travel Support

Travel Support

West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation Ltd. Hemanta Bhawan, 12 B.B.D. Bag (East), Kolkata-700 001 Phone: 033-4401 2086/4401 2082, Fax: 2231 4063

Our team will be more than happy to assist and take care of your complete itinerary end-to-end in a personalized and professional manner.

Temple Rituals

The deities are offered with snana and nitya puja. But the ritual of mass prayers is followed till date as a part of worshipping the Goddess.

Special Rituals

On the special festivals and occasions, the priests offer special pujas for the deities. Sravan is the most pious season for the Shiv Bhakts. At Kankalitala Temple, many Kanwariyas are found gathering to pour water at the Shakti Peeth on Her Bhairav- Ruru Dev. Usually, the Kanwariyas collect Ganga water in their Kalash and carry that to the Shiv temples during the month of Shravan (Gregorian- July).

Additional Info