Tarkeshwar Temple

Tarkeshwar Temple’s history dates back to the 18th century. As per the legend, this temple was built after Lord Shiva appeared in a dream of his devotee and ordered him to discover a Shiv Linga deep in the forest near the town of Tarakeswar as well as to construct a temple at that place. The Tarkeshwar temple was later built around the Swayambhu linga which was referred to as Baba Taraknath. As per the legend, Vishnu Das was a devotee of Lord Shiva. He came to Tarakeshwar from Ayodhya. One day, Vishnu’s brother found a place in the forest where his cows used to pour their milk at a particular place every day. At the same place, the Das brothers found a Shiva Linga. Finally, a shrine was constructed by villagers at the specific site which later became popular by the name of Taraknath Temple. The current temple was constructed in 1729 AD by Raja Bharamalla. The Tarkeshwar temple is built according to an actual style of Bengal temple architecture. A ‘Natmandir’ is seen in front of the temple. Next to the temple are the shrines of Goddess Kali and Goddess Lakshmi Narayan. Dudhpukur water tank is located towards the north of the Taraknath temple. It is believed that to fulfill the wishes, one has to take a holy dip in the Dudhpukur water tank. Taraknath temple represents a typical Bengali style of architecture which has an inner shrine or sanctum along with a balcony in front of it. The idol of Lord Shiva is installed in the center of the inner shrine. The balcony has four sides along with a marble pathway. The tetra faced veranda has three-vaulted railings on its roof. In front of the veranda, there is an assemblage hall for devotees. It is one of the most revered temples of Tarakeshwar, a form of Lord Shiva, in West Bengal. The temple is also one of the oldest in the city, dating back to the 18th century.T he Tarakeshwar temple is considered as the testimony of the successful ruling of the Chola dynasty. The main structure of the temple had been built completely with granite. The Tarkeshwar temple was built by Raja Raja Chola I and is considered as one of the best examples of the Tamil architecture. This great Indian temple also has registered its name among a few of those famous UNESCO heritage sites with the title “the great Chola temples The Tarkeshwar temple records maximum crowd on the holy day of Mahashivratri. Another grand celebration at the temple is Chaitra Sankranti. Even on Monday, the temple is extremely crowded, as it is considered as the day of Lord Shiva.