Kalighat Kali Temple

Kalighat Kali Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the Hindu goddess Maa Kali. It is one of the 51 Shakti Peethas.

Kalighat was a Ghat (landing stage) sacred to Kali on the old course of the Hooghly river (Bhāgirathi) in the city of Calcutta. The name Calcutta is said to have been derived from the word Kalighat. The river over a period of time has moved away from the temple. The temple is now on the banks of a small canal called Adi Ganga which connects to the Hoogly. The Adi Ganga was the original course of the river Hoogly (Ganga). Hence the name Adi (original) Ganga.

Coordinates:	22°31′12″N 88°20′31″E
Name
Proper name:	Kalighat Kali Temple
Devanagari:	काळिघाट् काळि मन्दिर्
Sanskrit transliteration:	kaaLiGaaT kaaLi mandir
Tamil:	காளிகாட் காளி கோவில்
Bengali:	কালীঘাট কালী মন্দির
Location
Country:	India
State:	West Bengal
Location:	On the bank of Adi Ganga river, Calcutta
Architecture and culture
Primary deity:	Kali
Architectural styles:	Typical Medieval Bengal architecture

Worship

The temple is visited by pilgrims from all over India irrespective of sectarian differences. The thousands of pilgrims who flock daily to the Kalighat temple treat Kali very much like a human mother, bringing her their domestic problems and prayers for prosperity, and returning when their prayers are fulfilled to express their gratitude. Their attitude towards the Goddess is guided by their religious traditions and training, their spiritual and intellectual capacities, and the guidance of their temple priests.

Legend

Kalighat is regarded as one of the 51 Shakti Peethas of India, where the various parts of Sati's body are said to have fallen, in the course of Shiva's Rudra Tandava. Kalighat represents the site where the toes of the right foot of Dakshayani or Sati fell. Legend has it that a devotee discovered a luminant ray of light coming from the Bhāgirathi river bed, and upon investigating its source came upon a piece of stone carved in the form of a human toe. He also found a Svayambhu Lingam of Nakuleshwar Bhairav nearby, and started worshiping Kaali in the midst of a thick jungle.

Kalighat is also associated with the worship offered to Kali by a Dasanami Monk by name Chowranga Giri, and the Chowringee area of Calcutta is said to have been named after him.

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History

The Kalighat temple in its present form is only about 200 years old, although it has been referred to in Mansar Bhasan composed in the 15th century, and in Kavi Kankan Chandi of the 17th century. Only two types of coins of Chandragupta II, who incorporated Vanga in the Gupta Empire, are known from Bengal. His Archer type coins, which became the most popular type of coinage with the Gupta rulers after Kumaragupta I, have been found in Kalighat. This is evidence of the antiquity of the place.

The original temple was a small hut. A small temple was constructed by King Manasingha in the early Sixteenth century. The present temple was erected under the patronage of the Sabarna Roy Chowdhury family of Barisha. It was completed in 1809. The Haldar family claims to be the original owners of the temple property. But this was disputed by the Chowdhrys of Barisha. In the nineteen sixties a committee was formed for the administrative management of the temple with representation from the Government and the Haldar family. The responsibility of conducting the worship rests with the Haldars and their heirs, generally known as shebaits.

The image of Kali

The image of Kali in this temple is unique. It does not follow the pattern of other Kali images in Bengal. The present idol of touchstone was created by two saints - Brahmananda Giri and Atmaram Giri. Three huge eyes, long protruding tongue made of gold and four hands. Two of these hands holding a sword and a severed head. The Sword signifies Divine Knowledge and the Human Head signifies human Ego which much be slain by Divine Knowledge in order to attain Moksha. The other two hands are in the abhaya and varada mudras or blessings, which means her initiated devotees (or anyone worshiping her with a true heart) will be saved as she will guide them here and in the hereafter.

Temple Details

Natmondir

A large rectangular covered platform called Natmondir has been erected adjacent to the main temple, from where the face of the image can be seen. This was originally built by Zamindar Kasinath Roy in 1835. It has been subsequently renovated often.

Jor-bangla

The spacious varandah of the main temple Facing the image is known as Jor Bangla. Rituals occurring inside the sanctum sanctorum are visible from the Natmondir through the Jor-bangla.

Sosthi Tala

This is a rectangular altar about three feet high bearing a small cactus plant. Beneath the tree, on an altar three stones are placed side by side - left to right representing the Goddesses "Sosthi", "Sitola", and "Mongol Chandi". This sacred spot is known as Sosthi Tala or Monosha Tala. This altar was constructed by Gobinda Das Mondal in 1880. The place of the altar is the Samadhi of Brahmananda Giri. Here all the priests are female. No daily worship or offering of Bhog (food offering) is done here. The Goddesses here are considered as part of Maa Kali.

Harkath Tala

This is the spot adjacent to the Natmondir, southwards meant for Bali (sacrifice). There are two Sacrificial altars for animal sacrifices side by side. These are known as Hari- Kath.

The bigger one is for buffalo sacrifices and the smaller one for goats and sheep. The animals are sacrificed with a single stroke of the knife and there is very little cruelty to animals when compared to the professional abattoirs.

Radha-Krishna Temple

This temple is known as Shamo-ray temple and is situated inside the temple at the west side of the main temple. In 1723, a settlement officer of Mushirabad district first erected a separate temple for Radha-Krishna. In 1843 a Zamindar called Udoy Narayan Mondal erected the present temple in the same spot. The Dolmancho was founded in 1858 by Madan Koley of Saha Nagar. There is a separate kitchen for preparation of vegetarian Bhog (food offering) for Radha-Krishna.

Kundupukur

This is the sacred tank situated in the south-east of the temple outside the boundary walls. Present area of the tank is approximately 10 cottahs. In the past it was bigger and called 'Kaku-Kunda'. In sixteenth century 'Sati-Ango' ( the right toe of Sati) was discovered from this tank. This tank is well known for its power to bestow the boon of a child. The water from this tank is regarded as sacred as that of the Ganges. Efforts at draining the water from the tank for cleaning has failed in the past showing the possibility of a subterranean with Adi Ganga.

Associated Temples

Nakhuleshwar Mahadev Temple

This Siva temple is dedicated to the consort of Maa Kali. It is situated in Haldar Para lane on the opposite side of the temple behind the police station. This temple is also very old and mentioned in the history.

The four Shiva temples inside the temple were constructed by different shebait families who retain control over them.

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Dakshineswar Kali Temple, Kolkata

The Dakshineswar Kali Temple (Bengali: দক্ষিনেশ্বর কালী মন্দির Dokkhineshshôr Kali Mondir, Sanskrit: दक्षिनेश्वर काली मन्दिर) is a Hindu temple located in Dakshineswar near Kolkata. Situated on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, the presiding deity of the temple is Bhavatarini, an aspect of Kali, meaning, 'She who liberates Her devotees from the ocean of existence i.e Saṃsāra'. The temple was built by Rani Rashmoni, a philanthropist and a devotee of Kali in 1855. The temple is famous for its association with Ramakrishna a mystic of 19th Century Bengal.

Coordinates:	22°39′18″N 88°21′28″E
Name
Proper name:	Dakshineswar Kali Temple
Location
Country:	India
State:	West Bengal
Location:	Kolkata
Architecture and culture
Primary deity:	Bhavatarini Kali
Architectural styles:	Bengal architecture
History
Date built: (Current structure)	1855
Creator:	Rani Rashmoni

The temple compound, apart from the nine-spired main temple, contains a large courtyard surrounding the temple, with rooms along the boundary walls. There are twelve shrines dedicated to Shiva—Kali's companion—along the riverfront, a temple to Radha-Krishna, a bathing ghat on the river, a shrine dedicated to Rani Rashmoni. The chamber in the northwestern corner just beyond the last of the Shiva temples, is where Ramakrishna spent a considerable part of his life.

History

The presiding temple deity, Bhavatarini, with a foot over Shiva

Ramakrishna came to the temple in 1855, as an assistant to his elder brother, Ramkumar, the head priest, a job he took over the next year, after Ramkumar's death.

The Dakshineswar Kali Temple was founded around the middle of the 19th Century by Rani Rashmoni. Rani Rashmoni belonged to Kaivarta caste and was well known for her philanthropic activities. In the year 1847, Rashmoni, prepared to go upon a long pilgrimage to the sacred Hindu city of Kashi to express her devotions to the Divine Mother. Rani was to travel in twenty four boats, carrying relatives, servants and supplies. According to traditional accounts, the night before the pilgrimage began, Rashmoni had a vision of the Divine Mother, in the form of the goddess Kali in a dream and reportedly said,

“

There is no need to go to Banaras. Install my statue in a beautiful temple on the banks of the Ganges river and arrange for my worship there. Then I shall manifest myself in the image and accept worship at that place.

”

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Profoundly affected by the dream, Rani immediately looked for and purchased land, and promptly began construction of the temple. The large temple complex was built between 1847 and 1855. The 20-acre (81,000 m²) plot was bought from an Englishman, John Hastie and was then popularly known as Saheban Bagicha, partly old Muslim burial ground shaped like a tortoise, considered befitting for the worship of Shakti according to Tantra traditions, it took eight years and nine hundred thousand rupees to complete the construction, and finally the idol of Goddess Kali was installed 31st May 1855, amid festivities at the temple formally known as Sri Sri Jagadishwari Mahakali, with Ramkumar Chhattopadhyay as the head priest; soon his younger brother Gadai or Gadadhar (later known as Ramakrishna) moved in and so did nephew Hriday to assist him. 

The next year, Ramkumar Chhattopadhyay died, the position was given to Ramakrishna, along with his wife Sarada Devi, who stayed in the south side of the Nahabat (music room), in a small room on the ground floor, which now a shrine dedicated to her.

From then until his death 30 years later in 1886, Ramakrishna was responsible for bringing much in the way of both fame and pilgrims to the temple.

Architecture

Dakshineshwar Kali Temple, built on a raised platform.

Built in the traditional 'Nava-ratna' or nine spires style of Bengal architecture, the three-storeyed south-facing temple has nine spires distributed in upper two storeys, and stands on a high platform with a flight of stairs, over all it measures 46 feet (14 m) square and rises over 100 feet (30 m) high.

The garbha griha (sanctum sanctorum) houses an idol of goddess Kali idol, known as Bhavataraini, standing on the chest of a lying Shiva, and the two idols are placed on a thousand-petaled lotus made of silver.

Close to the main temple are the row of twelve identical Shiva temples built facing the east in the typical ‘Aat Chala’ Bengal architecture, they are built on either side of the ghat on the Hoogly river. To the North east of the Temple Complex is the Vishnu Temple or the Radha Kanta’s Temple. A flight of steps lead to the columned verandah and into the temple where a silver throne rests with a 21 and half inches idol of Lord Krishna and 16 inches (410 mm) idol of Radha.

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Lakshmi Narayan temple ( Birla Mandir)

Birla Mandir in Kolkata, India, is a Hindu temple on Asutosh Chowdhury Avenue, Ballygunge, built by the industrialist Birla family. This temple is open in the morning from 5.30 A.M. to 11 A.M. and in the evening from 4 .30 P.M. to 9 P.M. On Janmashtami, the birthday of Krishna, devotees come from far away places to pay their respect to the deities.

Coordinates: 22°31′50″N 88°21′54″E Location Country: India State: West Bengal Location: Kolkata Architecture and culture Primary deity: Lakshminarayan Architectural styles: Mandir

History

The construction of the temple began in 1970. It took 26 years to complete the entire structure. On Wednesday, the 21st of February, 1996, the Pran Prathistha was done by Swami Chidanandaji Maharaj in the morning. Dr. Karan Singh inaugurated the temple the same day.

Temple

• The main temple houses statues of deities Krishna and Radha.
• The left side temple shikhar (dome) houses goddess Durga, the Hindu goddess of Shakti, the power.
• The right side dome of the temple houses Shiva in meditation mode.
• Spread on 44 kathas of land, this temple built of white marble bears resemblance to the renowned Lingaraj Temple of Bhubaneswar. Birla Mandir also showcases pictorial depiction of scriptures of Bhagavad Gita in its stone engravings and some intricate Rajasthani temple architecture.

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Hangseshwari temple, Bansberia

Hanseswari temple is a Hindu Temple of goddess kali in the town of Banshberia at Hooghly District, Indian state of West Bengal. Basberia presently an industrial town positioned in between Bandel and Tribeni. The temple complex has another temple — Ananta Basudeba temple — besides the main temple. Also near is the Swanbhaba Kali temple built by Raja Nrisinhadeb Roy Mahasay in 1788. The Hanseswari temple has a distinctive architecture different from the usual pattern present in this area, consisting 13 minars or Ratnas, each built as a blooming lotus bud. The inner structure of the building resembles human anatomy.It was started by Raja Nrishinghadeb Roy Mahasay and later completed by his widow wife Rani Sankari.

Dates back to the 19th century with ornate arches. The main deity is the blue neem-wood idol of the four-armed goddess Hanseswari, a manifestation of Goddess Kali.The temple is 21 m high and has 13 towers. The peak of each tower is shaped as a lotus flower. Built according to Tantric principles, this five-storey shrine follows the structure of a human body - Ira, Pingala, Bajraksha, Sushumna and Chitrini. 

Vasudeva Temple and Swanbhaba Kali Temple are nearby. Bansberia Railway Station on the Howrah-Katwa main line is the nearest railway station

The architecture of the temples is the representation of "Tantrik Satchakrabhed".

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Ananta Basudeba temple, Bansberia

Ananta Basudeba temple is a temple of Lord Krishna in the Hangseshwari temple complex in Banshberia, in the Hooghly District in the Indian state of West Bengal. Built by Raja Rameswar Datta in 1679, this temple is noted for the exquisite terra cotta works on its walls.

It is built in the traditional eka-ratna style,with curved cornices.The tower on top of the temple is octagonal. The terracota works depict stories from the great Indian epics , Ramayana & Mahabharata, as well as from Krishnalila.

 Here also exist RASHA MANDALA, unlikely Shyam Rai Temple of Bishnupur. Small but beautiful Rasha Mandal in the wall of Ananta Vasudeva Temple of Bansberia.

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Shiva temple, Tarakeswar

Taraknath Temple of Tarakeshwar is one of the prominent pilgrimage centers in Bengal. Tarakeshwar is located near Serampore near Calcutta in Bengal. This temple dates back to the 18th century. Legend has it that a devotee by name Vishnu Das emigrated with his clan from Oude (Ayodhya) and was viewed with suspicion by the locals. It is believed that he proved his innocence by holding in his hand a red hot iron bar. Later, his brother discovered a site in the nearby jungle, where cattle discharged the contents of their udders (milk) at a particular spot each day. Upon investigation, they discovered a Shivalingam. A dream is said to have revealed to them that this Shivalingam was a manifestation of Tarakeshwar - Lord Shiva ... the Param Bramh... the primordial and ultimate force of the universe...the source of everything. A temple was built at this spot, and was renovated in subsequent years.

Coordinates	22°53′N 88°01′E
Country	India
State	West Bengal
District(s)	Hoogly
Parliamentary constituency	Arambag
Assembly constituency	Tarakeswar
Population	28,178 (2001)
Time zone	IST (UTC+05:30

Tarakeswar (Bengali: তারকেশ্বর Tarokeshshor) is a town and a municipality in Hooghly District in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a police station in Chandannagar subdivision. Tarakeswar is a renowned place of pilgrimage and the greatest centre of the Shiva sect in West Bengal. 58 km away from Kolkata, Tarakeswar can be reached conveniently by train.

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Temple of Taraknath

The principal attraction is the temple of Taraknath, an 'atchala' structure with a 'natmandir' in front. Close by are the shrines of Kali and Lakshmi-Narayan. Dudhpukur, a tank to the north of the Shiva temple is believed to fulfil the prayers of those taking a dip in it.


Pilgrims visit the temple throughout the year, especially on Mondays. But thousands of pilgrims visit Tarakeswar on the occasions of 'Shivaratri' and 'Gajan', the former taking place in Falgun (Feb-March) while the latter lasts for five days ending on the last day of Chaitra (mid-April). The month of Sravana (mid-July to mid-August) is auspicious for Shiva when celebrations are held on each Monday.
 

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Mayapur (Nadia district)

Mayapur (Bengali: মায়াপুর) is located on the banks of the Ganges river, at the point of its confluence with the Jalangi, near Navadvip, West Bengal, India, 130 km north of Kolkata (Calcutta). It is The Head Quarters of ISKCON and is considered a holy place by a number of other traditions within Hinduism, but is of special significance to followers of Gaudiya Vaishnavism as the birthplace of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, regarded as a special incarnation of Krishna in the mood of Radha. It is visited by over a million pilgrims annually.

Coordinates 23°26′18″N 88°23′34″E Country India State West Bengal District(s) Nadia Time zone IST (UTC+05:30)

Travel

It can be reached by boat ride and, more commonly, by train or a bus. ISKCON Kolkata operates regular bus service from Kolkata to Mayapur. For getting more details kindly visit http://www.visitmayapur.com, or you can also call on the numbers +91-9474751202 +91-33-64588777 or +91-33-32488041.

Frequent train service available to Krishnanagar from Sealdah Station, after reaching Krishnanagar, have to take a ride of Auto or Cycle rikshaw to reach Mayapur. During the visit one can see "the huge headquarters of the International Society of Krishna Consciousness" and "a long stream of saffron-robed devotees chanting" Hare Krishna mantra.

Memorials

Samadhi Mandir of Srila Prabhupada

There are one of the main attraction is Sri la Prabhupada's Samadhi Mandir. Also represented as a Museum, describing whole life of Prabhu using glass fabric models. The work has unforgettable finish. Along with traditional samadhis, International Society of Krishna Consciousness is planning to construct a garden in memory of George Harrison.

Gaudiya Vaishnava temples

The Ganges river at Mayapur

The headquarters of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) have been located in Mayapur since the 1970s. In addition, there are a number of other Gaudiya Vaishnava organisations in Mayapur, such as the Gaudiya Math. The town is heavily centred around this particular Vaishnava religious tradition, officially known as the Brahma-Madhva-Gaudiya Sampradaya, with temples devoted to Radha and Krishna or Gaura-Nitai throughout; however, there is a sizeable Muslim population in the historical centre, previously called Miyapur.

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Temples in West Bengal

• Kolkata
  • Kalighat Kali Temple
  • Dakshineswar Kali Temple
  • Lakshmi Narayan temple
• Hooghly district
  • Hangseshwari temple, Bansberia
  • Ananta Basudeba temple, Bansberia
  • Shiva temple, Tarakeswar
• Nadia district
  • Mayapur
• Belur Math, Belur
• Kalyaneshwari temple, Bardhaman district
• Tarapith
• Jalpeshwar Shiva Temple, Jalpaiguri district
• Bakreshwar Shiva temple
• Mulajor Kalibari, Shyamnagar

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Belūr Maṭh

Belūr Maṭh or Belur Mutt is the headquarters of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission, founded by Swami Vivekananda, a chief disciple of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. It is located on the west bank of Hooghly River, Belur, West Bengal, India and is one of the significant institutions in Calcutta. The temple is notable for its architecture that fuses Hindu, Christian and Islamic motifs as a symbol of unity of all religions.

History

In January 1897, Swami Vivekananda arrived in Colombo with his small group of Western disciples. Two monasteries were founded by him, one at Belur, which became the headquarters of Ramakrishna Mission and the other at Mayavati on the Himalayas, near Almora called the Advaita Ashrama. These monasteries were meant to receive and train young men who would eventually become sannyasis of the Ramakrishna Mission, and to give them a training for their work. The same year the philanthropic activity was started and relief of the famine was carried out. 




Swami Vivekananda's days as a parivrajaka (wandering monk) before his visit to Parliament of Religions, took him through many parts of India and he visited several architectural monuments like the Taj Mahal, Fatehpur Sikri palaces, Diwan–I–Khas, palaces of Rajasthan, ancient temples of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and other places. During his tour in America and Europe, he come across buildings of architectural importance of Modern, Medieval, Gothic and Renaissance styles. It is reported that Vivekananda incorporated these ideas in the design of the Belur Math temple.






Swami Vijnanananda, a brother-monk of Swami Vivekananda and one of the monastic disciples of Ramakrishna, who was, in his pre-monastic life, an civil engineer, designed the temple according to the ideas of Vivekananda and Swami Shivananda, the then President of Belur Math laid the foundation stone on 16 May 1935. The massive construction was handled by Martin Burn & Co.. The mission proclaims the Belur Math as, "A Symphony in Architecture".

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Kalyaneshwari Temple

Coordinates:	23°46′38″N 86°49′42″E
Name
Proper name:	Kalyaneshwari temple
Location
Country:	India
State:	West Bengal
Location:	Kalyaneshwari, Bardhaman

Kalyaneshwari temple (Bengali: কল্যাণেশ্বরী মন্দির) at Kalyaneshwari in Asansol subdivision of Bardhaman district in the Indian state of West Bengal is located on the banks of Barakar River, about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) downsream from Maithon Dam of Damodar Valley Corporation. The Barakar River forms the West Bengal-Jharkhand border. It is about 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) from Barakar on Grand Trunk Road and about 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) off the recently constructed NH 2.

History

Kalyaneshwari is a 500-year old centre of Shakti worship. Legend has it that human sacrifices were offered at Kalyaneshwari in the remote past. The present temple, however, is not very old and was constructed by Panchakot Raj. The temple of Goddess Kalyaneshwari is believed to fulfill the wishes of childless women.

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Tarapith Temple

Coordinates	24°07′N 87°48′E
Country	India
State	West Bengal
District(s)	Birbhum
Nearest city	Rampurhat
Time zone	IST (UTC+05:30)
Website	birbhum.nic.in

The Tara temple in Tarapith steeped in the narrated myths is a medium sized temple in the rural precincts of Bengal. Its fame as a pilgrimage centre with the deity of Tara enshrined in it is due to "the temple’s founding myths, its type of worship (which includes blood offerings), the hymns sung there, the powers of the nearby tank, and the inhabitants and rituals of the adjacent cremation ground".





The temple base is thick with thick walls, built of red brick. The superstructure has covered passages with many arches raising to the pinnacle with a spire (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" (seen in the inset of the fierce form of the image of Tara) 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 (vermilion).

Priests take a speck of this kumkum and apply it on the foreheads of the devotees as a mark of Tara's blessings. The devotees offer coconuts, bananas and silk saris, and unusually bottles of whisky. The primordial image of Tara has been described as a "dramatic Hindu image of Tara’s gentler aspect".
The priests of the temple offer puja (worship) with great reverence to bring out her motherly aspect to the devotees, blending the North Indian fierce depiction of the Sati myth of the goddess with the peaceful motherly visionary form of Tara seen by Buddha and his disciple Vasishtha of the Tantric tradition – the Buddhist Tara form.At Tarapith, though the softer motherly aspect of the fierce goddess is emphasized. Chanting hymns or poems in her praise is also a part of the devotional appeal made to the goddess.




The devotees take a holy bath at the sacred tank adjacent to the temple before entering the temple premises to offer worship and even after the worship. The waters of the tank are said to have healing powers and even restore life to the dead.





Blood sacrifice of goats is the daily norm in the temple. Devotees who offer such goat sacrifices seek blessings from the deity. They bathe the goats in the holy tank near the temple before the sacrifice. They also purify themselves by taking bath in the holy tank before offering worship to the deity. The goat is then tethered to a stake, the designated post in a sand pit, and the neck of the goat butchered with a single stroke by a special sword. A small quantity of the blood of the goat is then collected in a vessel and offered to the deity in the temple. The devotees also smear their forehead with a bit of blood from the pit, as a mark of reverence to the deity.

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Jalpesh Shiva temple

Location, Approach & Access : This place is around 25 km away from Jalpaiguri town and 8 km from Mainaguri. Taxi is available from Jalpaiguri and Mainaguri to reach this place. One can also hire van rickshaw from Mainaguri to reach this place.

Prime Attraction : The temple of presiding deity (Shiva) established in the year 1665 by the cooch king Prannarayan is the main point of attraction of this place.

 SEE MAP HERE : http://jalpaiguri.gov.in/map/tourist.pdf

Jalpaiguri - this narrow stretch of land lying between the Sikkim - Darjeeling Himalayas and Gangetic West Bengal has more than often evoked a sense of both eerie and romanticism in many a heart since the early British Rule. Veined by mighty rivers like the Teesta,Torsa, Jaldhaka, Dyna, Neora, Sankosh etc. this piece of land has been aptly named as the land of 'Tea, Timber & Tourism'. A major stretch of area is bordered in the north by Bhutan and hence the name - DOOARS/DUARS which mean - Door of Bhutan.

Rarely one can find a place like Jalpaiguri that is so potentially rich in tourism. But a major part of it still remains to be exploited. Turbulent rivers battling out of the steep gorges, the vast stretches of forest cover, the undulating span of Tea Estates and the panoramic grandeur of the Himalayas are only a few jewels that made the British ground their roots deep into the heart of this land. Just drive around or take a hike, never will your eyes feel to rest. If a tourist is a nature lover or an admirer of Wild Life there cannot be a better place than this for him. He can run wild in the various Sanctuaries, National Parks & Tiger Reserves that are on offer. Garumara N.P., Jaldapara W.L.S. etc. are only a few. One can leissure out his time by the sides of the turbulent rivers or simply roll through the Tea Gardens. The more adventureres ones may prefer to trek to Rupang Valley & Buxa-Duar in Buxa Tiger Reserve. Apart from these, there are very old temples like the Jalpeshwar and Jatileshwar. Persons seeking to smell history can take a look at the Prisoners call at the Buxa Fort area where fighters were imprisoned during the pre indepence era.

Places like Jainti, Murti, Santale Khola, Mongpong will get any tourists imagination run wild. Moreover this place gives any one the oppurtunity to access the Darjeeling and Sikkim Himalayas whose potential in this regard need not be mentioned.

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Bakreshwar Shiva temple

Pilgrims believe that Bakreshwar is a Siddhapith, a sacred Hindu Shakta-site for Shiva worship. According to Vedic legend, Lord Shiva was pleased with the penance of an ancient sage, Ashtabakra, and blessed Bakreshwar as a Siddhapith. The Shiva Mandir of Bakreshwar is adjacent to Bakreshwar's Papahara natural spring. It is also beside the Bakreshwar River. This temple has existed since the 17th century. 250 smaller Shiva temples surround the Bakreshwar Shiva Mandir.

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Mulajore Kalibari Shyam Nagar

A famous Kali Temple is situated in between Shyamnagar railway station and river Ganga is known as Mulajore Kalibari. An auditorium named Rabindra Bhavan was built by Bhatpara Municipality by the side of this Kali Temple.A fair called Poush Mela is organised every year in Poush Mash according to Bengali calendar and between December and January in English calendar. The place becomes holy with the blessings of Goddess Kali and Ganga.

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