Nalahati is one of the 51 Shakti Peethas of the Pithanirnaya; the temple of Nalateshwari stands on a small hill at Nalhati in Birbhum district, West Bengal. By the text Sati’s "nala" fell here, which the historian D. C. Sircar takes to be a long bone; the goddess is Kali and the Bhairava Yogisha.
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- Tradition
- Shakta
- Place
- Nalhati, on a small hill near Nalhati railway station, Birbhum district
- State
- West Bengal
- Country
- India
How to reach Nalateshwari, Nalhati
- According to West Bengal Tourism (2022) the temple is near Nalhati railway station on the Howrah-Sahebganj loop line.
Where the sources differ
- The meaning of "nala" is disputed: Sircar takes it as a long bone, while West Bengal Tourism, by tradition, gave the throat, and some say the forehead (lalata).
- Wikidata has no coordinates for the temple, only rough ones for the town, so no map is given here.
- According to Sircar the original Pithanirnaya probably had 42 names and the last eight pithas (Nalahati to Virata) were added later; this pitha is one of those eight.
- 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
Which part of Sati fell at Nalhati?
By the Pithanirnaya, the "nala"; D. C. Sircar takes it as a long bone, while local tradition gives the throat or the forehead. The goddess is Kali and the Bhairava Yogisha.
Where is Nalateshwari, Nalhati Shakti Peetha?
Nalateshwari, Nalhati Shakti Peetha is in Nalhati, on a small hill near Nalhati railway station, Birbhum district, West Bengal.
Which lists of tirthas include Nalateshwari, Nalhati?
The 51 Shakti Peethas (number 44 of 51 in the list).
How to reach Nalateshwari, Nalhati?
According to West Bengal Tourism (2022) the temple is near Nalhati railway station on the Howrah-Sahebganj loop line.
Sources
- 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. 56 (archive.org)
- Vachaspatyam (Taranatha Tarkavachaspati), "pitha": the list of pithas quoted from the Tantrachudamani (Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries, sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de)
- West Bengal Tourism (wbtourism.gov.in), "Nalateswari Temple", Shakti Peeth section (Wayback Machine copy of 26 November 2022: web.archive.org/web/20221126000359/https://www.wbtourism.gov.in/destination/nalateshwari_temple; the page is no longer on the site)
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