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Read MoreShakti Pith #19: Kalighat Kali Mandir
228 575 228 575 Early medieval accounts of the shakti piths (centers of power) cite Kalighat as the dwelling place of a particularly fierce manifestation of the goddess, known as Dakshina (“south-facing”) Kalika. Once surrounded by a dense jungle...
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Read MoreShakti Pith #47: The Mahishamardini Mandir of Bakreshwar
37 37 Although Bakreshwar, West Bengal is primarily renowned for its Shiva temple and therapeutic hot springs, these attractions tend to overshadow its parallel significance as a place of power for goddess devotees. As a shakti...
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Read MoreTarapith: Fire, Blood, Magic, and Sati’s Third Eye
477 477 Is Tarapith a Shakti Pith? While Tarapith is often not considered a “true” shakti pith due to its rather curious omission from the list of 51 sacred sites found in the Mahapithanirupana, it most certainly...
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Read MoreShakti Pith #28: Kankalitala
133 133 While at first glance appearing to be no more than a modest rural temple, a closer examination of the Kankalitala Mandir reveals a unique mythology coupled with a vibrant local...
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Read MoreKali Puja: A Celebration of Light and Darkness
184 184 Kali Puja is celebrated on the New Moon day of the Hindu calendar month Ashvin. This is also the same day on which the famous festival of light, Diwali, is observed. Throughout this occasion, an...
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Read MoreEvening Aarti at Kalighat’s Northern Entrance
It is now 2 a.m. and I am staying up all night to see what I can collect from the opening ceremonies of Durga Puja early tomorrow morning near the Kalighat Kali Mandir. Julie and...
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Read MoreBengali Children Singing
Durga Puja is fast approaching and Kolkata is becoming a mad house–in a good way. The general vibe surrounding West Bengal’s biggest holiday is one of awe. Right now, I’m observing the most intense explosion...
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Read MoreShakti Pith #23: Varanasi’s Vishalakshi Mandir and Manikarnika Kund
37 37 In a narrow lane near Varanasi’s Meer Ghat is a small, curiously South Indian-styled temple dedicated to the goddess known as Vishalakshi–the “Wide-Eyed.” At first, this temple might be easy to overlook if it weren’t...
Most Recent Articles
Kalo Meyer Payer Tolay: A Song of Nazrul Islam
Kazi Nazrul Islam (24 May 1899 – 29 August 1976), explored various creative and social territories throughout his prolific life. During his youth he achieved fame simultaneously both for his political...
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Is my Mother Shyama Black? A Song of Kamalakanta
Since I am finally taking my Bangla language studies seriously and collecting Shyama Sangeet (Kali Ma devotional lyrics), I thought I should be a good bhakta......
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Patterns in Comparative Religion by Mircea Eliade
It’s no exaggeration to say that Patterns in Comparative Religion is not only one of the most delightfully brilliant books that I have read in a long time, but an excellent introduction to the thought of one of the great...
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How I Lost My Mind and Became a Crazy Kali Bhakta: A Theophany by William Clark
The word darshan is a Sanskrit term that means “seeing,” and specifically refers to perception of the divine. In Hinduism, darshan is a broad concept which manifests in a variety of ways. Among other things......
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Drinking from the Fountain of Desire: A Darshan of Ma Kamakhya
Thursday October 17th, 2013 After observing the massive crowds this temple can attract, I decided to do the heroic thing and pull an all-nighter, figuring that an early arrival would insure a quick darshan (Sanskrit word, literally...
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It’s Just Begun
July 27th, 2013: It’s been seventeen days since I arrived at my new hometown of Santiniketan, West Bengal. For the most part, it has largely been a perilous ordeal, and if it weren’t for the fact...
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THE VISION OF MA
