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Attahas Temple, West Bengal
In a far, far land, at Attahas Temple in a little village called Dakshindihi in Birbhum, West Bengal, lies a shrine dedicated to Adi Shakti- the female force of Hinduism. It’s one of the 51 Shakti Peethas.
Attahas Temple, West Bengal
In a far, far land, in a little village called Dakshindihi in Birbhum, West Bengal, lies a shrine dedicated to Adi Shakti- the female force of Hinduism. Situated on the banks of the river Ishani, the temple lies on the Labhpur to Ahmedpur Road which is a distance of about 15 km. The exact location of the temple is around 5 km prior to Ahmedpur. The deity inside the temple is Maa Phullora. The Bhairav Vishwesh is said to be guarding her.
The temple has a stone deity that is around fifteen feet long –which, incidentally, symbolises the lower lip of the goddess. A natural pond that has now gone into disuse sits right adjacent to the temple complex. An interesting fact about this pond: Hanuman was said to have collected a hundred and eight lotuses from this very pond when Shree Rama needed them for worship of the Goddess Durga. Gracing the same temple complex is a beautiful marble idol of Mahadev sitting on a stone lotus. The temple in itself is an architectural marvel. Although not very large and extravagant, the temple has been done up artistically and is extremely pleasing to the eye.
History and Significance :
During Shiva’s tandav after Mata Sati’s death when Lord Vishnu had hurled his Sudarshan Chakra at the burnt corpse, Mata Sati’s lower lip is said to have fallen in Attahas. Literally, ‘Attahas’ is a Sankskrit word which means profound laughter. The lower lip had then taken on the form of a stone and a shrine was erected around it. Shiva had appointed Vishvesh as the Bhairav guarding the temple.
Attahas is famous not only for being a heavenly abode but also the abode of a number of beautiful wild birds. Every year, this place is paid a visit by over two thousand Asian open bill storks, fruit-eating bats and exquisite butterflies. It is for these reasons that Attahas attracts a lot of environmentalists and birwatchers every year, particularly during December-January.
Attahas Temple, West Bengal
The village of Attahas celebrates their annual Phullora Mela with a great deal of pomp and splendour. Colours abound everywhere and there is fair where the elders of the village tell stories about the miracles associated with the Temple.
There is no particular special ritual performed in the temple, but daily artis at dawn and dusk are mandatory. There are also a number of yagnas that are conducted throughout the year. The festival of Navratri – that coincides with Durga Puja – is celebrated with a lot of enthusiasm here. The nine days of Navratri are accompanied by a number of special pujas and yagnas.
The word ‘Phullora’ literally means ‘blooming’ or ‘in bloom’. The name is in praise of Mata Sati’s lips that are said to resemble blooming lotuses; that’s how exquisitely beautiful she was. Beside the temple of Phullora is the temple of the Bhairav Vishvesh who was appointed by Lord Shiva to protect the lips of his beloved wife. Vishvesh is said to be none other than a manifestation of Shiva. As Bhairavs were appointed to protect, they represent the coarser, stronger side of Shiva.
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Located in a remote area but with quite good connectivity, here the main idol of the goddess Sati is called Fullara and Lord Shiva is worshiped here as Vishvesha. Here the devotees believe that since Fullara means blooming they consider that there will be proper growth of everything from the soil. And hence people offer items to god as prayers that grows well in soil and it is considered as very auspicious. In the vicinity of this temple there are couple of other near by temples too. One must not forget to visit the pond which is located near to this temple and it is considered to be very auspicious.
The Attahas temple is located in West Bengal is among the Shakthi Peethas. A very simple yet enchanting temple . The architecture of the temple is extremely good. Here the main deity is in the form of a stone . There is a pond next to the temple complex and it is believed that Lord Hanuman collected 108 lotuses from here . The temple is kept extremely neat and clean and they perform daily pujas and homas.