Nalhati Shakti Peeth (Nalhateshwari)

Nalhateshwari temple, Nalhati, Birbhum district, West Bengal

51 Shakti Peeths

About

Nalhati, a small town in Birbhum district of West Bengal near the Jharkhand border, takes its name from the Shakti Peeth of Maa Nalateshwari (Nalhateshwari). The temple stands on a low hill, Lalat Pahar, in the town. Devotees believe the 'nala', the throat or windpipe, of Devi Sati fell here. The Devi is Kalika and her Bhairav Yogish. The Devi is seen with three eyes and a golden tongue, and the sacred stone held to be her relic is shown to devotees every morning after her bath. A dargah on the same hill is visited by many people as well.

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 Nalhati the 'nala' is believed to have fallen; sources read the word as the throat, the windpipe, the food pipe or a long bone, and the town takes its name from it. Bengali tradition says the relic was found after a dream, and the Devi was set up on an altar over it at the foot of the Lalat hill near the Brahmani river. At the same time a stone bearing the footprints of Vishnu ji was found, and it is worshipped beside the Devi: by custom Vishnu ji is honoured first, then the Bhairav and then the Devi. The hill is also linked with the Ramayan; local people show marks said to be where Sita ji combed her hair. Once surrounded by thick forest, the place was long a seat of tantric sadhana, and many sadhus are remembered as having done tapasya here. Bengali tradition also sees Nalhati as a place where Hindus and Muslims both come with devotion.

Visiting

October to March is best, when the red-soil country of Birbhum is cool and dry. Nalhati Junction is on the Sahibganj loop line, and the temple is a short ride from the station. Nearby are Tarapith near Rampurhat and the other Birbhum peeths: Nandikeshwari (Sainthia), Bakreshwar, Kankalitala and Fullara (Labhpur). In winter the Baidhara barrage and sal forest on the Brahmani river make a pleasant outing.

Festivals

The Devi's yearly puja on Ashadh Shukla Navami
Mahashivratri, when the Devi and Bhairav temples are joined with a yellow thread
Havan on Amavasya nights

51 Shakti Peeths

Sources