Place · Shakta pitha · India
Bakreśwar
The Shakta Pitha at Bakreshwar in Birbhum district, West Bengal, 60 kilometres from Shantiniketan — one of the four Birbhum Shakta Pithas (Tarapith, Bakreshwar, Kankalitala and Nalhati) that cluster in a 50-kilometre radius and make this district the densest Pitha concentration in eastern India. The temple is said to be where Sati's mind (manas) or forehead fell. Nine hot sulphur springs around the temple — Bhairav Kund, Agni Kund, Soubhagya Kund and six others — give the shrine its distinctive bathing geography. The goddess Bakreshwari is paired with Shiva Bakranath (Vishvanatha). The temple's foundation is traditional 10th-century Pala; the current structure is 18th-19th-century Burdwan patronage.
- Periods
- Regional Flourishing, Islamic Age and Bhakti Traditions, Republic and Living Practice
- Function
- Sacred site & pilgrimage
- Confidence
- Mixed / layered — The place is documented; its associated historical or cultural record and its named tradition are distinct layers.
- Location
- 23.880, 87.370
Worth knowing
Bakreswar sits on an active geothermal zone and has multiple hot springs, each traditionally assigned a different name and significance. Some springs are extremely hot. The fascinating part is that a major pilgrimage centre here developed alongside a genuine geological phenomenon rather than merely around a constructed temple.
On these journeys
Sources
Hindu pilgrimage sites in India — Wikipedia
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