The Nandikeshwari temple at Sainthia (Birbhum, West Bengal) is taken to be the Nandipura pitha of the Pithanirnaya. By the text Sati’s necklace fell here, and the goddess is Nandini and the Bhairava Nandikeshvara; the Birbhum district government website also says the necklace fell here.
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- Tradition
- Shakta
- Place
- Sainthia, Birbhum district; about 1.5 km from Sainthia railway station
- State
- West Bengal
- Country
- India
The temple
According to the Birbhum district website the present temple was built in 1913 (Bengali year 1320). According to West Bengal Tourism (2022) prasad is offered daily and the yearly festival is held in autumn.
How to reach Nandikeshwari, Sainthia
- According to West Bengal Tourism (2022): about 1.5 km from Sainthia railway station; Sainthia is linked by rail with Howrah and Sealdah.
Where the sources differ
- Wikidata’s coordinates for the temple are rough (about 1.2 km from the temple in OpenStreetMap), 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
What fell at the Nandikeshwari Shakti Peetha?
By the Pithanirnaya, Sati’s necklace, an ornament rather than a limb; the goddess is Nandini and the Bhairava Nandikeshvara. The temple is at Sainthia in Birbhum.
Where is Nandikeshwari, Sainthia Shakti Peetha?
Nandikeshwari, Sainthia Shakti Peetha is in Sainthia, Birbhum district; about 1.5 km from Sainthia railway station, West Bengal.
Which lists of tirthas include Nandikeshwari, Sainthia?
The 51 Shakti Peethas (number 49 of 51 in the list).
How to reach Nandikeshwari, Sainthia?
According to West Bengal Tourism (2022): about 1.5 km from Sainthia railway station; Sainthia is linked by rail with Howrah and Sealdah.
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. 57 (archive.org)
- Vachaspatyam (Taranatha Tarkavachaspati), "pitha": the list of pithas quoted from the Tantrachudamani (Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries, sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de)
- Birbhum district (birbhum.gov.in): gallery, Nandikeshwari Temple
- West Bengal Tourism (wbtourism.gov.in), "Nandikeshwari Temple", Shakti Peeth section (Wayback Machine copy of 26 November 2022: web.archive.org/web/20221126000352/https://www.wbtourism.gov.in/destination/nandikeswari_temple; the page is no longer on the site)
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