Spread on the banks of River Dwaraka in the district of Birbhum in West Bengal is the small village of Tarapith . The place is well known for an old temple situated here. Tarapith has off late become one of the most visited pilgrim centres in West Bengal. The calm and serene environment of the temple along with a scenic background offers a divine spiritual experience. The temple here is dedicated to Goddess Tara who is worshipped in the form of Kali Devi. It is one of the few temples which follow the Tantric way of worship and relates to Shakta sect of Hinduism. According to myths, Lord Shiva went wild with grief when his wife Sati gave up her life by jumping into the fire. In order to pacify Shiva, Lord Vishnu cut the body of Sati into pieces using his Sudarshan Chakra. These pieces were scattered in 51 locations where temples were erected called the Shakti Piths. Tarapith is one such place where the eye ball (Tara) of Sati had fallen. Another legend says that to relieve Shiva of the poison that he had drunk during the churning of the cosmic oceans, Sati breast fed him in the form of Tara. So Tara is worshipped in the Tarapith temple in the form of a mother, suckling Shiva on her breast. Jagannath Ray of Mallarpur village built the present temple in 1225. There are 2 images of Tara in the sanctum – a metal and a stone one. The metal deity is in a fiery form with four arms and a protruding tongue, wrapped in a sari and decked in marigold and a garland of skulls. The forehead of the image is crowned with a silver crown with flowing hair and adorned with red kumkum (vermilion). The motherly aspect of the fierce goddess is emphasized in the stone image, which depicts Tara as a mother suckling Shiva. The temple walls are built of red bricks. The devotees offer saris, coconuts, fruits and even whisky bottles and goats for blood sacrifice, which are the means of Tantric rituals. The temple is open from 4 am to 1 pm and again from 4 pm to 8 pm. There is a cremation ground on the river side amidst dark forest surroundings which is associated with the temple. Many sadhus and Tantric practitioners reside here. Tarapith is also important for visiting the shrine of Bamdevji – Bama Khepa, a famous Tantric saint. Bamdev Sangha Ashram is just a few yards from Tara Ma temple. Birchandrapur Temple, Nalhateshwari Temple, Mallarpur Shiv Temple, Lakshmi Temple and Maluti temples are other magnificent temples situated in the surrounding areas of Tarapith. There are many lodges around the temple which offer minimum facilities. The hotels mainly offer traditional Bengali food. Tarapith Hotels
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