Tarapith

Tarapith is a temple town in the central region of West Bengal, India. It is a major Hindu pilgrimage centre and several thousand devotees visit the temple every day.

Understand

According to Hindu belief, an insulted Sati, the wife of Lord Shiva, sacrificed herself at a yagya (fire worship ritual) which was being performed by her father Dakshmaharaj. Angry with this incident Lord Shiva started the Tandava Nritya (Dance of Destruction). In order to prevent the destruction of all creation, Lord Vishnu used his Sudarshan charka (wheel) to cut the body of Sati into several parts. Sati's body was scattered all over the Indian subcontinent. There are 51 such holy spots where temples have been erected and they are called Pithas or the Shakti Pithas. Some of the Pithas are in West Bengal. The most popular of them are Kalighat (in Kolkata), Bakreshwar and Tarapith. It is believed that the eyeball of Sati fell down at Tarapith. In Bengali, the eyeball is called 'Tara' and that is why the name of the village was changed from the earlier Chandipur to Tarapith.

It is said that in ancient times Saint Bashistha attained his divinity by meditation under a Simul tree on the bank of river Dwaraka. He attained his divinity by worshipping the Goddess Sati or Tara (in the form of Kali) and sitting on the panch mundi ashan or the sitting place surrounded by 5 skulls of different animals, like human, owl, elephant, black snake and monkey. That Simul tree is no more there and river Dwaraka has moved away. Subsequently, a number of saints like Saint Bamakshyapa (19th-century devotee) and Kamalakanta (18th-century devotee, who composed many songs, and still sung) came here to worship the Goddess for their spiritual salvation.

The old temple of Goddess Tara is somewhat damaged. The present temple with eight roofs was built in 1225 by one Jagannath Ray of Mallarpur village. On the main gate of the temple, the statue of Goddess Durga and her full family are carved. On the left, the war of Kurukshetra (Mahabharata) and on the right stories from Ramayana are depicted.

This article also covers Rampurhat, a nearby city often used as a waypoint to Tarapith.

Get in

By train

Rampurhat Junction railway station (station code: RPH). Main station to Tarapith, with connectivity to almost every part of India. Major facilities are waiting rooms, computerized reservation facility, reservation counter and two-wheeler vehicle parking. It also has a non-air-conditioned retiring room which can be booked online through IRCTC and also at the Office of the Senior Booking Clerk on Platform No. 1. 2021-03-07
Tarapith Road railway station. Mainly local and passenger trains stop here. Some express trains, most notably the Maa Tara Express from Sealdah, also stop here. Due to lack of facilities compared to Rampurhat, some people avoid this station in favour of Rampurhat station. 2021-03-07

By bus

Tarapith Bridge Bus Stand, 24.11599°, 87.79785°.
Rampurhat Bus Stand, 24.17040°, 87.79002°. 2022-10-21

By car

Several highways run over Tarapith. Panagarh–Morgram Highway heads south to Durgapur via Suri, Dubrajpur and Ilambazar and heads north to Morgram via Nalhati. NH 114 (previously NH 2B) heads south to Bardhaman via Sainthia and Santiniketan.

Get around

Tarapith is a small town and you can walk around and rickshaws are also available. Beware of crowds during peak season.

See and do

Temple of Tarama, 24.1134°, 87.7966°, +91 7001815500 (for puja or worship). 2018-01-29
Tarapith Burning Ghat (Sadhak Bamdeber Ghat), 24.1145°, 87.795639°. Named after Sadhak Banakshyapa. 2018-01-29
Tarapith Mahasmasan, 24.114306°, 87.796194°. It is an auspicious place well known for its tantric rituals. 2018-01-29
Bamdev Sangha Ashram. You can see a graceful environment at Bamdev Sangha Ashram. 2018-01-29

Buy

There are many shops trying to attract attention of the pilgrim-tourists.

Eat and drink

There are plenty of moderate eating houses serving standard Bengali meals.

Most hotels have restaurants - check if they provide meals for non-guests. Many of the hotels provide a variety of cuisine.

Since hard drinks are not available openly, it is better to carry one's own stock of hard drinks if you need one.

Sleep

To avoid the unsavoury, corrupt, and thoroughly untrustworthy booking services based in Kolkata, it is best to get a place to stay on arrival without advance reservation.

There are around 350 lodges or hotels in Tarapith, mostly catering to budget tourists. There is little that is luxurious as this is a pilgrimage centre. There is no problem in getting a place to stay but many people get back to Rampurhat or move on to other places.

Hotel Shanti Nibas, 24.11698°, 87.79868°. Check-in: Noon, check-out: 11:30AM. ₹200-1500
Orbit Hotel Tarapith, Kabi Chandrapur, 24.10928°, 87.79828°. 10 minutes walk from Maa Tara Temple. TV, a work desk and a closet supplied in the room. 24-hr room service, security and house-keeping. Dining facilities available in the restaurant. 2018-01-28
Hotel Sonar Bangla, Kabi Chandrapur, Tarapith Temple Road, 24.11842°, 87.79547°, +91 3461 253199, +91 9732127224, +91 9547712240, +91 90647 57937. Air-conditioned rooms, restaurant, banquet/conference hall, swimming pool, free car parking. 2018-01-28
Swagatam International, 24.11965°, 87.79527°, +91 3461 253446, +91 9674319687,+91 9830703258. Restaurant cuisine - Bengali, Chinese, Gujarati, Tandoori and North Indian dishes. Arrangements for marriage party and conference. Swimming pool. ₹1,200 for Delux (2 beds) to ₹3,000 for AC Delux (4 beds) 2018-01-28
New Bideshini Hotel, Chandipur, near Tarapith bus stand/Tarapith police station, 24.11459°, 87.79828°, +91 9046799885, +91 9475224122, +91 9434556058. AC/ Non-AC rooms with Geyser, Colour TV with cable line, 24-hr generator service (except AC and Geyser), free bus/car parking in hotel premises. 2018-01-28
Bam Tara Hotel and Restaurant, near Bridge Bus Stand, 24.11472°, 87.79787°, +91 83360 33301, +91 96353 58161, +91 94321 44030. Cottage, suite, delux AC, non-AC rooms. 2018-01-28
Hotel Yashoda International, 24.1219°, 87.7951°, +91 9051211000. Surrounded by lush greenery but only a short walk from Maa Tara temple. 63 luxurious rooms with balcony and all modern facilities. 24-hr room service. 2018-01-28
Hotel Classic, 24.1179°, 87.7958°, +91 9732193989 (mobile B.Mondal), +91 9734662445 (mobile N.Mondal), +91 3461 253419 (landline). Situated on the main road from Rampurhat to Sainthia. Very close to Maa Tara Temple. 40 AC and non-AC rooms. 24-hr power back-up, TV, fridge, geyser, car parking, car rental, travel desk. ₹1,200-6,000 2018-01-28
Larica Holiday Inn Tarapith, 24.10904°, 87.79698°, +91 9874688884, laricatarahotmail@gmail.com. 2018-01-29
Raktajaba Tourist Lodge (Benfish Lodge), Tarapith Main Road, 24.11872°, 87.79627°, +91 3461-253556, +91 33-23575215, +91 33 23554931, care@benfishtourism.com. Well furnished AC and non-AC room with attached bath, balcony, intercom, geyser, restaurants with a variety of food options. Ample car parking. Arrangements for 'Puja' & 'Darshan' (on payment). Internet reservation. 2018-02-02

Rampurhat

Binapani Hotel, Deshbandhu Main Rd, +91-9609221575. 2018-01-28
Hotel Birbhum International, TP Banerjee Rd, 24.17435°, 87.78573°, +91 97339 03699. Check-in: 11AM, check-out: 10AM. 2022-10-21
Hotel Nandita, Panch Matha Road, +91-9932486061. 2018-01-28
Hotel Taja, Rampurhat Bus Stand, +91-8145442377. 2018-01-28
Babulal Hotel and Restaurant, Deshbandhu Main Road, +91-7797751067. 2018-01-28
Jinarul Hotel, Birbhum Bus Stand, +91-9734787091. 2018-01-28
Joybati Hindu Hotel, Bharasal Road, +91-9775037206. 2018-01-28
New Bengal Muslim Hotel, Nischintapur-Dumka Military Road, +91-9775037206. 2018-01-28
Mukherjee Lodge, J.L.Banerjee Road, Sanghata Para, +91 99327 99619, +91-346125 5318. 2018-01-28

Tarapith - Religious place of West Bengal, India