The “Tarapith” Temple
The “Tarapith” Temple is dedicated to the worship Of Maa Tara, A Great Cosmic Wisdom Form Of Maa Maha Kaali. According to legends, The “Tarapith” Temple is where Maa Sati’s Eyeball Had Fallen. As the bengali word for eyeball is tara, the temple was dedicated to the worship Of Maa Tara. Thus devotees venerate The “Tarapith” Temple As A Shakti Pith, A Divine Seat Of The Divine Mother Maa Aadi ParaShakti. Shakti Piths Are Revered As The Holy Sites on earth Where The Various Parts Of Maa Sati’s Holy Body are said to Have Fallen during lord shiva’s rudra tandava.
The “Tarapith” Temple is also quite renowned for being one of the few temples where tantric rituals are practiced.
Origin story
The origin of The “Tarapith” Temple can be traced back to vashishta’s quest to master the tantric arts. Despite his prolonged efforts, he failed to achieve success. Seeking guidance, he approached gautama buddha, who had a vision that “Tarapith” was the ideal place to worship Maa Tara. Following buddha’s advice, vashishtha came to “Tarapith” and performed a left-handed tantric ritual, incorporating the use of the 5 forbidden elements (panchamakara). Impressed by his devotion, The Divine Mother Manifested As Maa Tara Nursing Lord Shiva At Her Breast And Then Transformed Into Stone. Since then, The Depiction Of Maa Tara In Her Maternal Form, Nursing Lord Shiva, Has Been Venerated At “Tarapith”.
After the original temple had suffered some damage, a new temple with eight roofs was constructed in 1225 by jagannath ray from the village of mallarpur. The temple’s main gate features intricately carved Statues Of Goddess Durga And Her Entire Family. Additionally, depictions of the kurukshetra war from the mahabharata are showcased on the left, while stories from the ramayana are depicted on the right.
The Two Idols At The ”Tarapith” Temple
Inside the sanctum, There Are Two Idols Of Maa Tara. The First Is A Stone Image Portraying Maa Tara As A Mother Nursing Lord Shiva, but It Is Concealed By A Three-Foot-Tall Metal Idol That Is Typically Visible To the worshippers. The Stone Statue Depicts Maa Tara In Her Fierce Form, With Four Arms, Flowing Hair, An Extended Tongue, And Adorned With A Garland Of skulls. The Outer Metal Idol Is Adorned With a silk sari, marigold garlands, and sheltered by a silver umbrella Above The Head.
Only after the evening aarti ceremony do the devotees have the opportunity to catch a glimpse Of The Original Stone Idol.
Location
The town or village where The “Tarapith” Temple is situated is named “Tarapith” after the temple. “Tarapith” is located on the banks of the north flowing dwarka river, in birbhum, west bengal, some 264 km from “Kalikata” (kolkata), india.
The address of the temple is: village- Tarapith Temple, P.O.-Tarapith (Chandipur), dist.-birbhum, pin-731233, west bengal, india.
Visiting hours
The temple is open to visitors and worshippers everyday of every season from 6:00 am to 9:00 pm.
Visitors have to be careful about not taking photos as photography at the temple is not allowed.
How to reach the temple
The devotees and visitors have the following travel options:
- By air: The nearest airport is at kolkata, at a distance of 225 km from “Tarapith”. One can avail taxi services from airport to “Tarapith”. “Tarapith” is easily accessible from kolkata, delhi, mumbai and other major airports.
- By bus: The state owned buses connect “Tarapith” with to esplanade/dharamtalla bus stand of kolkata or with the neighboring cities.
- By train: The nearest railway station is rampurhat, at a distance of about 9 km from “Tarapith”. Taxi services from railway station to “Tarapith” are available. Rampurhat is linked with howrah and sealdah.
A link to the google map is as follows: https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1jh22I_ihxX_s00QhpKraAxVOJEg&hl=en_US&ll=24.08262803049236%2C88.02132824629145&z=13