Kanchi Shakti Peeth (Kankalitala)

Kankalitala on the Kopai river near Bolpur, Birbhum district, West Bengal

51 Shakti Peeths

Traditions differ: The text calls this peeth Kanchi. Bharatkosh identifies Kanchi with Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu, home of the famous Kamakshi temple, while the Bengal lists, Wikipedia and Art of Living place it at Kankalitala in Birbhum.

About

Kankalitala is a temple village on the bank of the Kopai river, about 9 km from Bolpur in Birbhum district of West Bengal. It is counted among the 51 Shakti Peeths, where the kankal, the bones of Devi Sati's waist, is believed to have fallen; the old text calls the place Kanchi. The Devi is worshipped as Devgarbha, known locally as Maa Kankali or Kankaleshwari, and her Bhairav is Ruru. Beside the temple is a sacred pool (kund). The complex also has the Kanchishwar Shiv temple, and Baul singers often sing in the temple grounds.

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. The bones of her waist are believed to have fallen here, which gave the place its name, Kankalitala. Devotees believe that the sacred part rests as stones in the pool beside the temple. By custom these stones are brought out only once in twelve years for a special puja and are then returned to the water. The nearby cremation ground has long been a place of quiet tantric sadhana. Kali Puja is celebrated here with great devotion. Birbhum district is rich in Shakti Peeths: Fullara at Labhpur, Bakreshwar, Nandikeshwari at Sainthia and Nalhati are all within reach, and many pilgrims visit them together on one journey.

Visiting

October to March is the best time; in December the Poush Mela is held at nearby Santiniketan. The temple is about 9 km from Bolpur on the Bolpur–Labhpur road, and Bolpur Shantiniketan is the nearest railway station. Nearby are Santiniketan and the Shakti Peeths of Fullara (Labhpur), Bakreshwar, Nandikeshwari (Sainthia) and Nalhati.

Festivals

Kali Puja (the Amavasya of Diwali)

51 Shakti Peeths

Sources