Jessore Shakti Peeth (Jeshoreshwari)

The story

According to the Shakti Peeth tradition, after King Daksha's yagya Shiv ji wandered in grief carrying the body of Devi Sati. Vishnu ji's Sudarshan chakra then divided the body, and wherever a part or an ornament fell, a Shakti Peeth arose. At Jessore her palms, the 'lotus hands' (paani-padma), are believed to have fallen; some lists add the soles of her feet. Tradition says a Brahmin named Anari first built a temple here with a hundred doors, and that it was later repaired by King Lakshman Sen and by Maharaja Pratapaditya of Jessore. A popular story tells that a general of Pratapaditya saw a strange beam of light come out of the forest and fall on a stone shaped like a human palm. Pratapaditya then began the worship of Maa Kali at the spot and built the temple. A large nat mandir once stood in front of the shrine, from which devotees could see the Devi's face; today only some of its pillars remain. By one custom, when a vow is fulfilled, devotees release a pair of pigeons from the temple veranda.