Hare krishna. ALL GLORIESVTO MAA TARA. Tārāpīṭh(Bengali:তারাপীঠ) is a small temple town nearRampurhatinBirbhum districtof theIndianstate ofWest Bengal, known for itsTantrictemple and its adjoiningcremationgrounds wheresādhanā(tantric rites) are performed. The TantricHindutempleis dedicated to the goddessTara, a fearsome Tantric aspect of theDevi, the chief temples ofShaktism. Tarapith derives its name from its association as the most important centre of Tara worship and her cult.[1][2][3][4]Tarapith is also famous forBamakhepa, known as theavadhutaor mad saint, who worshipped in the temple and resided in thecremation groundsas a mendicant and practised and perfectedyogaand the tantric arts under the tutelage of another famous saint, the Kailashpathi Baba. Bamakhepa dedicated his entire life to the worship of Tara. Hisashramis also located close to the temple.[5]GeographyTarapith is a small village of Sahapur Gram Panchayet, Margram Police Station located at 24°06′48.2″|N|, 87°47′48.4″|E| (Try to locate °′″ on Wikimapia) on the banks of theDwarka River in West Bengal.[6]It is located in the flood plains amidst green paddy fields. It looks like a typical Bengali village with thatched roof huts and fish tanks.[7]The town is located 6 km fromRampurhatSub-Division in theBirbhum district. Rampurhat & Tarapith Road in Chakpara is the nearest Railway Station fromAsansol.[1]Legend and importanceThe Temple of TarapithThere are several legends narrated on theorigin and importance of this place, all related to the goddess Tara deified in the Tarapith temple. A well-known legend relates to theShakti Piths.Sati, the consort ofShiva, felt insulted when her fatherDakshadid not invite Shiva to the greatyajñafire sacrifice he organized. Unable to bear this humiliation, Sati gave up her life by jumping into the yajña fire. Infuriated by this tragic turn ofevents, Shiva went wild. Then,Vishnu, in order to pacify Shiva, decimated the body of Sati with hischakram. Satis body part fell all over theIndian subcontinent. The places where the body parts fell have become centres of worship of the Goddess in different manifestations. There are 51 such holy temples which are calledShakti Piths; inWest Bengal, there are many suchpiths, such as theKalighat.[2][3][8]Vashisthahad seen this form and worshipped the goddess Sati in the form of Tara. Another legend narrates: Shiva had drunk the poison that had emerged by thechurning of the cosmic oceans, to save the universe. To relive him of the intense burning in his throat, Sati – in the form of Tara – breast fed Shiva to relieve him of the effect of poison in his throat. Another local narration is that Vasishtha chose this place for the worship of Sati as it was already known as a Tarapith.[1][9]Amongpiths, Tarapith is asiddha pith, which grants enlightenment, wisdom, happiness andsiddhis (supernatural powers).[10]Another oral legend about the temple states that sage Vashishtha practised austerities to Tara, but was unsuccessful, so on the advice of a divine voice, he went to meetthe Buddha– anavatarof Vishnu according to some schools ofHinduism– inTibet. The Buddha instructed Vasishtha to worship Tara through the practices ofvamachara. During this time, Buddha had a vision of Tarapith as an ideal location for enshrining the image of Tara in a temple there. Buddha advised Vasishtha to go to Tarapith, the abode of Tara. At Tarapith, Vasishtha did penance by reciting Taramantra300,000 times. Tara was pleased with Vasishtha’s penance and appeared before him. Vasishtha appealed to Tara to appear before him in the form of a mother suckling Shiva on her breast, the form that Buddha had seen in his divine vision. Tara then incarnated herself in that form before Vasishtha and turned into a stone image. Since then Tara is worshipped in the Tarapith temple in the form of a mother suckling Shiva on her breast.[9][11]Tarapith, Kalighat andNabadwipare considered the most importanttirthas(holyplaces with a sacred water body) forBengali Hindus.[10]
Posted on: Sat, 13 Dec 2014 04:18:09 +0000
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