Tarapith Tara Maa Temple, Birbhum
Tarapith, West Bengal
Tarapith is a temple town in the Birbhum district of West Bengal, famous for the Tara Maa Temple, one of the great Shakti shrines of the region. Goddess Tara, a fierce and motherly form of the Goddess, is worshipped here, and by tradition the third eye of Sati fell at this place. The red-brick temple has a curved Bengali roof and is in the middle of a busy town, with a sacred pond nearby. The town is also known for its tradition of tantric worship, and for the saint Bamakhepa.
What to see and do
- Have darshan of Goddess Tara, the fierce and loving mother
- See the red-brick, curved-roof temple in the traditional Bengali style
- See the sacred pond near the temple, where pilgrims bathe and pray
- Walk through the lanes of the temple town, with their shops and sadhus
Ideal for
- Devotees of the Goddess and of Tara
- Pilgrims who follow the Shakti Peethas
- Visitors who want to see a living tantric tradition from the outside
Good to know
- One source gives the temple as open from about 5:30 am to 10 pm, but check locally
- Dress modestly with shoulders and knees covered, and remove footwear at the entrance
- The temple town is very crowded on Saturdays, Tuesdays and festival days, and touts and priests approach visitors, so agree on a price first or decline politely
- Photography rules are not confirmed, so ask at the gate
- It is about 200 to 220 km from Kolkata, so it is a long drive of about 5 to 6 hours
Spiritual significance
Tarapith is one of the most powerful centres of Shakti worship in Bengal. People come to Tara Maa in times of difficulty, and the town keeps a tantric tradition alive that is rare to see elsewhere.
Why it matters
- A Shakti shrine: by tradition the place where Sati's third eye fell
- Tara Maa: the fierce mother, loved across Bengal
- A tantric tradition: the town is known for its tantric worship and the saint Bamakhepa