Kankalitala Temple - What is the belief here & Temple timings

Location: Bolpur Labh Pur Road, Distt, Kankalitala, West Bengal 731204

Temple Timings: 06:00 am to 08:00 pm

History of the temple

Dedicated to Goddess Sati, the temple is considered among the 51 Shakti Peeth, which are spread across the whole Indian Subcontinent.  According to religious texts, King Daksha, father-in-law of Lord Shiva, had organized a yajna. In which, King Daksha did not send invitations to Lord Shiva and Mother Sati (daughter of King Daksha) because King did not consider Lord Shiva as his equal. When Goddess Sati got to know about it, She felt very bad and decided to reach there in yajna without invitation. Then, King Daksha insulted Lord Shiva at the yajna site, which Mata Sati could not bear, and she jumped into the Havan Kund. Lord Shiva came to know about this, after which he reached there and took out the body of Goddess Sati from Havan Kund and started doing Tandava (the dance of destruction), which caused upheaval in the entire universe. Lord Vishnu divided the corpse of Goddess Sati into 51 parts from his Sudarshan Chakra to save the earth from the anger of Lord Shiva. The places where the parts of Sati’s body fell, became the Shakti Peeth.

Also Read: Shikari Devi Trek

About the Temple

Kankalitala Temple is situated on the banks of Kopai river in the north-east of Bolpur (Shanti Niketan), in the Birbhum district of the state of West Bengal. The temple is one of the 51 Shakti Peeth of Goddess Sati, where the waist of Mother Sati fell. Kankalitala Temple is listed among the most prominent temples of Hinduism. Goddess Sati is the presiding goddess of the temple. It is believed that, when Sati’s waist (Kankal in the Bengali language) fell at this place, it caused a depression in the earth, which was later filled with water, and a divine kund was formed. 

Idols and Statues made up of stone, metal, or clay are not available in this temple. There is a framed painting depicting goddess Kali standing on the top of Lord Shiva. The divine energies of Goddess Sati and Lord Shiva are placed as ‘Devgarbha,’ and ‘Ruru,’ respectively in the temple.

Also Read: Kamrunag Temple

Festivals

Holi, Sharad Purnima, Deepawali, Makar Sankranti, Shivratri, and Navaratri are the festivals celebrated in the temple.
Note: Dussehra and Navratri are the prominent festivals of the temple.

Best time to Visit

One can visit anytime throughout the year. However, During the time of Dussehra and Navratri, most of the devotees visit the temple and take the blessings of Goddess. Also, the best time to visit Kankalitala temple is between October to March, due to its pleasant climate and natural beauty.

Places to see around

• Sonajhurir Sanibarer Haat
• Tarapith
• Khoai Garden
• Amar Kutir
• Visva-Bharati University

Way to Reach

Roadways

The temple is about 10 km away from the Shantiniketan bus station, which lies on the Bolpur-Labhpur route.

Railways

Bolpur Shantiniketan railway station is the nearest railway station, from where taxis and buses are readily available to reach the temple.

Airways

The nearest airport from the temple is Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Airport, which is 153 km away from the temple. The airport is connected with other major cities of the country such as Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bangalore, and other metropolitan cities.