Devgarbha/Kankleshwari/Kankalitala Temple is situated on the banks of Kopai river in the north-east of Bolpur 8KM away (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.
This skeleton idol of the temple, which was found 250 years ago, was found in 1700 AD, constructed by the Panchkot Raj, and believed by the archaeologists and other experts to be the ‘Yakshini’ of the pre-Aryan age. The legend goes that human sacrifices were practised at this temple in the remote part. As per the archaeologists, this idol is contemporary to the Buddha or the Pala era. It may be of the Jain era, according to some experts and influenced by the ‘Buddhist Tantra’. Although the exact historical timing of this idol is not yet ascertained, it is assumed by about 2,000 years old. The divine energies of Goddess Sati and Lord Shiva are placed as ‘Devgarbha,’ and ‘Ruru,’ respectively in the temple.
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 10 km 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 Calcutta 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.
