Tarapith

Tarapith is a small town located near Rampurhat in Birbhum district of West Bengal. The place has a Temple of Maa Tara (Goddess Tara) where thousands of devotees visit on a daily basis to offer worship. On the contrary to the other temple here worship is offered with meat, wine and blood. The place surrounded by lash green paddy fields, Dwarka River and dark forest. There are many ancient legends regarding this place. Consort of Lord Shiva, goddess Sati felt insulted when her father Daksha did not invite his son-in-law Lord Shiva at the grand yagna (fire sacrifice). Humiliated by the act of her father Sati ended her life by jumping into the fire. When Lord Shiva came to know about the sequence of events, anger made him wild and furious. He put the corpse of Sati in his shoulder and started Rudra Tandav. The universe started shaking and was about to get destroyed. To pacify Lord Shiva Vishnu cut the body of the Sati into pieces with his chakra (discus), the pieces fell all over the Indian subcontinent. Each place where the pieces had fallen become a Shaktipith. It is believed the third eyeball or tara had fallen in Tarapith.

Another legend depicts that the avatar of Goddess Sati, Tara took the form the mother and breastfed Lord Shiva to give him relief from intense burning pain of poison in his throat, which was drunk by Lord Shiva. The poison came out of Samudra Manthan (churning of cosmic oceans) and would have catastrophically destructed all living being. Lord Shiva drunk the poison and kept it in this throat and thus saved the living beings. According to another legend, Vasistha one among the seven holy sage (Saptarishi) worshiped Goddess Tara by his left hand at this place with forbidden things like wine, meat and blood under the instruction of Lord Buddha to witness the Divine form of Goddess Tara. The present temple made out of thick red brick superstructure which has covered passages and many arches which are raising to the pinnacle with a spire. The present structure was reconstructed by king of Natore after depilation of two temples which were constructed by Joy Dutta Saudagar and Jaganath Rahi respectively.

Tarapith is a famous Hindu pilgrimage in the state of West Bengal and a Shakti Peetha, believed to be the spot where Sati's third eye fell. Tara, another form of Sati, is worshipped in the temple. The town of Tarapith is a small, crowded rural town near the Dwarka river in Birbhum district and is also called the city of Tantra Mantra or black magic. Another legend tells the story of how Shiva had drunk the poison - Halahala, that would save the universe. To soothe his burning throat, Tara