DeitiesScripturesTirthFestivalsPanchangAartisDirectory
The 51 Shakti Peethas 22/51

Kiriteswari Shakti Peetha

Kiriteswari (Bhuvaneshi, Vimala in the Pithanirnaya)Kiritkona village, West Bengal

Also known as: Kirita Peetha, Kiritakona (Pithanirnaya); Mukuteshwari

Edited by the SanatanBodh editorial teamLast updated: 4 sourcesDrafted with AI, checked against sourcesReport a mistake
Kiriteswari Shakti Peetha: The 51 Shakti Peethas 22/51, Kiriteswari (Bhuvaneshi, Vimala in the Pithanirnaya), Kiritkona village, West Bengal
In short

The Kiriteswari temple is at Kiritkona village in Nabagram block, Murshidabad district, West Bengal, and the district’s government website counts it among the 51 pithas. By the Pithanirnaya Sati’s crown (kirita) fell here; the goddess is Bhuvaneshi (Vimala) and the Bhairava Samvarta.

Deity
Kiriteswari (Bhuvaneshi, Vimala in the Pithanirnaya)
Tradition
Shakta
List
The 51 Shakti Peethas 22/51
Place
Kiritkona village, Nabagram block, Murshidabad district (near Lalbag)
State
West Bengal
Country
India

The worship

According to West Bengal Tourism (2022) there is no image here: a red stone covered with a red cloth is worshipped, and its covering is changed and it is bathed only on the Ashtami of Durga Puja. Kali Puja, every new moon, Ratanti Amavasya in Magha (with a night-long yajna) and a fair on every Tuesday of Pausha are its special days. The same page said the old temple was destroyed in 1405 and the present one built in the 19th century.

How to reach Kiriteswari

  • According to West Bengal Tourism (2022): 5 km from Dahapara railway station and 3 km from Lalbag Court Road station. According to Murshidabad district, Kolkata airport is about 195 km away.

Main festivals

Durga PujaKali Puja (the new moon of Diwali)

Where the sources differ

  • The West Bengal Tourism page gives the Shakti here as Vimala and the Bhairava as "Samvarta"; the first reading of the Pithanirnaya calls the goddess Bhuvaneshi and another Vimala.
  • Wikidata’s coordinates for the temple are rough (to one decimal place), so no map is given here.
  • The count of pithas depends on the text: the Pithanirnaya lists 51, some Bengali lists 52, the Devi Bhagavata (7.30) gives 108 places with names of the goddess, and the early Tantras name only four (Sircar).

Frequently asked questions

What fell at the Kiriteswari Shakti Peetha?

By the Pithanirnaya, Sati’s crown (kirita); hence the names Kiriteswari and Mukuteshwari. The goddess is Bhuvaneshi (Vimala) and the Bhairava Samvarta.

Where is Kiriteswari Shakti Peetha?

Kiriteswari Shakti Peetha is in Kiritkona village, Nabagram block, Murshidabad district (near Lalbag), West Bengal.

Which lists of tirthas include Kiriteswari?

The 51 Shakti Peethas (number 22 of 51 in the list).

How to reach Kiriteswari?

According to West Bengal Tourism (2022): 5 km from Dahapara railway station and 3 km from Lalbag Court Road station. According to Murshidabad district, Kolkata airport is about 195 km away.

Sources

  1. D. C. Sircar, The Śākta Pīṭhas (Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal 1948; Motilal Banarsidass, 1973): table of the Pithanirnaya pp. 35-37, note on this pitha p. 50 (archive.org)
  2. Vachaspatyam (Taranatha Tarkavachaspati), "pitha": the list of pithas quoted from the Tantrachudamani (Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries, sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de)
  3. Murshidabad district (murshidabad.gov.in): Shaktipeeth Shri Kiriteswari Temple
  4. West Bengal Tourism (wbtourism.gov.in), "Kiriteswari Temple", Shakti Peeth section (Wayback Machine copy of 26 November 2022: web.archive.org/web/20221126005730/https://www.wbtourism.gov.in/destination/kiriteswari_temple; the page is no longer on the site)

Something wrong? Report a mistake