Famous Temples in India

Religious Significance

After Sati’s self-immolation, when Shiva began the dance of destruction across the universe, Lord Vishnu had hurled his Sudarshan Chakra at the burnt corpse. Various pieces of Sati’s body had fallen in different pieces of the Indian subcontinent. It is said that Sati’s left anklet had fallen in Bhabanipur, although there are various conflicting theories and sources which say that it wasn’t her left anklet but her right eye or the ribs of the left side of her chest. Because of its status as a Shakti Peeth, Bhabanipur has been an important site for Hindu pilgrims, irrespective of the sect.

There are several legends associated with this peetha. It is said that the King of Nator and his grandson the Maharaja Ramkrishna used to meditate near this temple. The seat, the yagna kunda and the five skulls they famously worshipped are still present at the site. Another popular legend which gave Shakha Pukur – the Pond of the Conch Bangles- once, a poor seller of conch bangles met a little girl near the temple who asked for some conch bangles. Charming and full of life, she asked the bangle-seller to collect the money for the bangles from the Rajbari which he agreed to do. When the queen Rani Bhavani heard about this incident, she went to the place herself, for there were no little girls in the royal family at that time. The bangle-seller realised she was none other than the goddess Bhavani and began praying to her. The goddess soon emerged from the waters of the pond with her arms full of conch bangles and blessed everyone.