Tarapith Temple
The rishi Vashistha had seen Goddess Sati in the form of
Tara at this place and hence she is worshipped here since then. He used to
practice austerities to Tara, but was unsuccessful, and then he went to Buddha
who was an avatar of Lord Vishnu and received the advice of practicing vamachara.
He practiced and then saw the avatar of Goddess Tara,
Another legend narrates; Shiva had drunk the poison that had emerged by the churning of the cosmic oceans, to save the universe. To relieve the intense burning in his throat, Sati – in the form of Tara – breast fed Shiva to relieve him of the effect of poison in his throat. Another local narration is that Vasishtha chose this place for the worship of Sati as it was already known as a Tarapith.
How to reach: Tarapith
is at a distance of 264 km from Kolkata, 96 km from Santiniketan, 116 km from
Durgapur, 150 km from Deoghar and 205 km from Mayapur.
By Bus: The state owned buses
connect Tarapith with to Esplanade/Dharamtalla bus stand of Kolkata or with the
neighboring cities.
By Air: The nearest airport
is at Kolkata, at a distance of 225 km from Tarapith. One can avail taxi
services from airport to Tarapith. From Kolkata Delhi, Mumbai and other major
airports are easily accessible.
By Train: The nearest railway
station is Rampurhat, at a distance of about 9 km from Tarpith. Taxi services
from railway station to Tatapith are available. Rampurhat is linked with Howrah
and Sealdah.
History
The temple base is thick with thick walls, built of red brick. The
superstructure has covered passages with many arches rising to the pinnacle
with a shikara. The image of the deity is enshrined under the eaves in the
sanctum. There are two Tara images in the sanctum. The stone image of Tara
depicted as a mother suckling Shiva – the "primordial image is camouflaged
by a three feet metal image, that the devotee normally seen. It represents Tara
in her fiery form with four arms, wearing a garland of skulls and a protruding
tongue. Crowned with a silver crown and with flowing hair, the outer image
wrapped in a sari and decked in marigold garlands with a silver umbrella over
its head. The forehead of the metal image is adorned with red kumkum.
