Tarakeshwar Temple

Overview

Tarakeshwar Temple is a popular Hindu pilgrimage destination in West Bengal. The Taraknath Temple is located in the town of Tarakeshwar, near Serampore, Hooghlyin West Bengal. Tarakeshwar Temple is devoted to Lord Shiva and is the supreme centre of the Shiva sect in Bengal.

About The Temple

The Tarakeshwar Temple is one of the prime pilgrimage destinations for the people of Bengal. The structure of Atchala, which consist a Nat Mandir in the front area, is the major attraction of the Taraknath Temple. There are also shrines of Lakshmi-Narayan and Goddess Kali in the nearby area. There is a tank named Dudhpukur, which is located towards the north of the Taraknath temple, is considered to fulfill the prayers of the devotees who bathe in the holy waters of the tank.

Legend and Stories

Tarakeshwar Temple was established in the 18th century. There is a legend related to the formation of the temple. Vishnu Das, a devotee of Lord Shiva, immigrated with his family to the region from Ayodhya (Oude). He and his family members were not properly accepted by the locals and were viewed with utmost suspicion. Supposedly, Vishnu Das proved his innocence by grabbing hold of a red hot iron bar in his hand and earned a good reputation amongst the locals.

Sometime later, Vishnu's brother discovered a place in the forest nearby, where cattle poured the milk in their udders at a specific location every day. After exploring the area, the brothers found a Shiva Lingam in that spot. It is widely believed that the brothers had a divine dream which revealed that the Shiva lingam was a manifestation of Lord Shiva in the form of Baba Tarakeshwar. Lord Shiva is considered as the primal and ultimate power in the universe and the source of everything. Eventually a temple was built on the exact place which came to be known as Taraknath Temple of Tarakeshwar. The temple has been renovated many times over the subsequent years.

Festivals

Devotees visit the temple particularly on Mondays, which are considered to be the day of Lord Shiva Puja. While on Maha Shivaratri and Gajan, the temple witnesses flock of devotees who queue in large gathering to take a glimpse of their favourite God. Gajan is celebrated in a time span of five days and it gets concluded on the ending day of the Chaitra month while Maha Shivaratri is celebrated in the Phalgun month. In addition to that, during Sravana, Lord Shiva is revered by all his devotees and on all the Mondays of Srawana.

How To Reach

Air

Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose is the nearest airport and it takes around half an hour to reach the temple.

Rail

Kamarkundu is the nearest railway station to the temple.

Road

Tarkeswar is connected to all most all the major cities of West Bengal and so it can be conveniently reached from any of the towns using the road.

Temple Address

Baba Taraknath Temple,
Taraknath Mandir Rd,
Tarkeshwar, West Bengal,
Pincode - 712410.