Kiritkona Village · Murshidabad, West Bengal, India
Where Her Crown came to rest, a whole village keeps Her Name.
Kiritkona · Murshidabad Crown Of Maa Sati Char-chala shrine Lalbag Court Road · 3 km Best Tourism Village 2023
You come in along the Nabagram to Lalbag road, into a village that answers to the same Name as its Goddess. Beyond the trees the Bhagirathi keeps its slow course, and ahead a small shrine lifts its curved Bengal roof in soft repeating segments against the sky. More than a thousand years of worship have settled into this ground, For Her Crown fell here.
The Shrine that marks where the Kirit, the Crown Of Maa Sati, fell to earth as Shiva carried Her Body across the world in grief, one of the Fifty-One Peethas born of that fall.
Here She Is Worshipped as Devi Kiriteshwari, also called Maa Kiriteshwari Kali, as Mukuteshwari For Her fallen Mukut, and locally as Mahishamardini; the old tellings hold this ground To Be the sleeping place Of Mahamaya.
The present shrine, raised again in the 19th century by Darpanarayan, king of Lalgola, is counted the oldest mark of architecture among the Fifty-One Peethas and the oldest temple in Murshidabad district.
The story of the fallen Crown
The Puranas tell that when Sati gave up Her body in the fire of Her father's insult, Shiva lifted Her and walked the world in grief. Where the pieces Of Her Body and Her ornaments came to earth, the Fifty-One Shakti Peethas arose. At Kiritkona, near the bank of the Bhagirathi, it was Her Kirit, Her Crown, that fell, and so the place itself took Her Name.
A temple has stood here for more than a thousand years, the old accounts say, though the original structure was destroyed in 1405. The shrine you see today was rebuilt in the 19th century by Darpanarayan, king of Lalgola. Even Nawab Mir Jafar, the legend runs, asked on his deathbed, as leprosy took him, for the Charanamrito, the holy water Of Maa Kiriteshwari.
What you'll actually see
1
The char-chala roof
The scholar David J. McCutchion described this small shrine as a char-chala whose cornice curve repeats as a pattern up the roof in eight segments, with a porch in the ek-bangla style. It is a Bengal form: modest, curved, close to the earth.
2
The oldest mark among the Fifty-One
The original temple was lost in 1405; the one standing now was rebuilt in the 19th century under the king of Lalgola. It is counted the oldest surviving architectural example among the Fifty-One Peethas, and the oldest temple in all of Murshidabad district.
3
The sleeping place of Mahamaya
Long tradition regards this ground as a resting place Of Mahamaya. Local people also know the temple as Mahishamardini, and because it was Her Mukut, Her Crown, that fell, She Is likewise Worshipped as Mukuteshwari.
The shrine Of Maa Kiriteshwari at Kiritkona · photos by Rangan Datta Wiki (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Pinakpani (CC BY 4.0), Wikimedia Commons
A village that carries Her Name
Best Tourism Village of India 2023
In September 2023 the Union Ministry of Tourism named Kiriteswari the Best Tourism Village of India. It rose above 795 villages from 31 states and union territories in a contest promoting rural India's cultural and heritage tourism. On the map the village is Kiritkona, but most people call it Kiriteswari: the place and The Goddess share one Name.
Come for Darshan, and give the village itself an unhurried hour. The lanes around the shrine are part of what was honoured.
Plan your visit
By rail
Lalbag Court Road station is about 3 km from the temple; Dahapara Dham station is about 5 km.
By road
The Nabagram to Lalbag road passes through Kiritkona village.
Where
Kiritkona village, Nabagram block, Lalbag subdivision, Murshidabad district, near the Bhagirathi River.
Timings
Darshan hours are not recorded in our sources; confirm with the temple office before you travel.
Entry
No fee is recorded in our sources; carry small cash for offerings.
Dress
Modest dress with shoulders and knees covered, as at any Shakti Peetha.
Good to know
Her Name comes from Kirit, crown. Because it was Her Mukut that fell, She Is also Worshipped as Mukuteshwari.
A legend says Nawab Mir Jafar, dying of leprosy, asked from his deathbed for the Charanamrito, the holy water Of Maa Kiriteshwari.
The temple is counted the oldest in Murshidabad district; the original structure was destroyed in 1405 and rebuilt in the 19th century.
Questions pilgrims ask
Why is Kiriteswari counted among the Fifty-One Shakti Peethas?
The Puranas hold that the Crown Of Maa Sati fell at this spot as Shiva carried Her Body in grief. The place takes its name from that Crown, the Kirit.
By what Names Is Maa known here?
She Is Devi Kiriteshwari, also called Maa Kiriteshwari Kali, Mukuteshwari For Her fallen Crown, and locally Mahishamardini.
How do I reach the temple?
Come by rail to Lalbag Court Road station, about 3 km away, or Dahapara Dham station, about 5 km; the Nabagram to Lalbag road runs through the village. Darshan hours are not published in our sources, so confirm timings with the temple office.
Walk the sacred map
This Is one Seat among many. Her Body Fell across the whole of the old world:
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