Srunkhala Devi Temple is one of the 18 Maha Shakti Peetha located in Pandua, Hooghly District. This temple has many legends attached to it and has a great history too. In this article you will learn about the Srunkhala Devi Temple.
Legends of the Srunkhala Devi Temple
Srunkhala Devi Temple was built in the region where it is believed that the stomach of Sati fell.
The temple was built by a great devotee of Srunkhala Devi named Sage Rishyasringa.
Rishyasringa was looked after by his father since his childhood and was never linked with the outside world apart from his father. He did not have any exposure to the outside world because of which he was pure at heart and similar to an infant, who does not know of any worldly joy.
On the other hand, Srunkhala Devi is a goddess depicting a woman in her postnatal stage and bound by the love for newborn. Rishyasringa had the pure heart to preach Devi and this is how he became a devotee of Srunkhala devi.
Rishyasringa maharshi devotedly preached the Srunkhala goddess here and was blessed by her completely.
One day upon receiving an order from the Goddess, the sage went to visit Sringeri in Karnataka. Srunkhala goddess accompanied the sage. After a time, Rishyasringa also acquired the power of Srunkhala in and around Sringeri hill.
Srunkhala Devi, according to the facts, must have existed in West Bengal, Hooghly. But, according to one story, a sage Rishyasringa brought the Goddess to Sringeri in Karnataka.
The Door to Shrinkhala Devi Temple That is Closed off to the Public.
Another convincing evidence around the temple is that during the month of February, Mela Taala, a festival is celebrated about 30 days duration inside the premises of the minaret, attended by the Muslim and Hindu communities, which sees a gathering of around 1 lakh people.
Just near the Pandua, there is another temple with the name of Haneshwari Devi, which is considered to be another Shaktipeeth. Based on the information collected, it is possible that the place had Srunkhala Devi temple there.
Story Of Mata Sati
According to the famous legend of Goddess Sati who married to Lord Shiva against his father Prajapati Daksha wishes. As a result he insulted Shiva and Sati, and not invited them in the grand Yagya where all the gods were invited. Sati went to yagya even when she was not invited and as a result she was insulted by Daksha. Unable to withstand this insult, Sati sacrificed herself in the fire. Lord Shiva became angry at his wife’s death and wild, grief-stricken Shiva wandered the universe with her half-burnt corpse. To overcome this grief, Shiva has to get rid of Sati’s corpse but his love wouldn’t let him do it.
Finally, Lord Vishnu used his Sudarshan Chakra to dismember her body into 51 parts, each of which fell on different places on the earth, each creating a Shakti Pitha. The Srunkhala Devi Temple was the place where the Stomach of Sati fell and now it is revered as the holiest place to worship goddess Sati.
