Kumarikunda Shaktipeeth

Kumarikunda is located near Kumari Canal in Sitakunda Upazila of Chittagong, Bangladesh. This tank is the ruins of an ancient Hindu temple. The tank is identified as the Kanyashram Shaktipeeth in various texts on Tantra. Although the original temple has been destroyed, this kund is still a holy place for Hindu devotees and is one of the Ekanna Shaktipeeths.

Kumarikunda
Religion
Affiliation	Hinduism
Location
Location	sitakunda, Chittagong
Country	Bangladesh
Geographic coordinates	22.521203, 91.729380

History

According to legend, sometime during the Satya Yuga, a great sacrifice was organized by King Daksha to take revenge on Lord Shiva. King Daksha was angry because his daughter Sati (Devi) was married to 'Yogi' Mahadeva against his will. King Daksha invited almost all the gods and goddesses except Mahadeva and Sati Devi. Despite Mahadev's reluctance, Goddess Sati attended the event with Mahadev's followers. But as Sati Devi was not an invited guest, she was not given due respect. Moreover, Daksha insulted Mahadeva. Sati Devi could not bear this insult of her father towards her husband and committed suicide. The grief-stricken Mahadeva, enraged, falsified Daksha's yagna and carried Sati Devi's dead body on his shoulder and started the world-wide Tandava dance. By this destruction started in the whole world. To stop the deluge Lord Vishnu cut the body of Mother Sati with Sudarshan Chakra. Maa Sati's remains fell in various places in the Indian subcontinent, and the places later became known as sacred Peethas or Shakti Peethas. Peethanirnaya Tantra mentions "Kanyashrame cha padang me nimisho bhairavasthatha sarvani devata tatra" meaning Goddess Sati fell on the Kanyashram site. Goddess name is Sarvani Bhairav's name is Nimish.

Kumarikunda Shaktipeeth

• Scholars differ on the location of the Kanyashram Shaktipeeth. Some say the Shaktipeeth is located in the Kanyakumari temple in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. According to some, the ancient name of the city of Kanauj in ancient India was Kanyakubj, where the Kanyashram Sakthipeeth of the goddess is located. But according to most Pandits this Shaktipeeth is located in Kumarikunda, Bangladesh. Bharatchandra's Annadamangal Kavya does not find anything about this in poetry. According to the Shivacharita Shastra, the goddess's surface falls in the land of Vaivaswat. Gyanendra Mohan Das in his dictionary accepted the view of Sivacharita and said that the word Vaivasvat means the Sun. As the Sun rises in the East, this Peeth will be located in Bangladesh, which is located to the east of India. According to Satipetha researcher Dr. Dinesh Chandra Sarkar, Kumarikunda in Sitakunda is the Kanyashram Shaktipeeth. The Barahi Tantra mentions that the Kumarikunda Shaktipeeth is situated within a distance of five kroshas from the Chandranath temple. The famous Tantra saint Krishnananda Agambageesh in his great book Tantrasara mentions Kumarikunda and says that this Peethasthan is a suitable place for Tantric initiation.
• The ancient temple, however, cannot be seen today. If you continue along the crooked path of the Kumira Canal located in Bara Kumira of Sitakunda, you will come across the red brick of the once ruined Kumarikunda temple. Not long after, the temple was destroyed. A description of the Kumarikunda temple is also found in the illustrated Pilgrimage-Vramana-Kahini written by Gosthavihari Dhar. However, it is not possible to know the exact reason for the collapse of the temple. According to a local, the temple collapsed after the idol of Kumarikunda temple was stolen. Since then only this tank remains with the remains of the temple infrastructure. Due to the inaccessible path, it is not possible to see the devotees.

Travel to the temple

The road leading to Kumarikunda Shaktipeeth is very difficult. If you want to go here, first of all you have to go to Sitakunda Upazila of Chittagong District. From near the shrine of Dal Chaul Mia in Bara Kumira of Sitakunda, one has to proceed along the crooked path of Kumira canal. Going forward along the trail, you will see a natural fireplace. After another turn on the Jhiripath, one can see a narrow path leading to this cistern and the red brick remains of the ruined temple. However, it is quite difficult to go to Kumarikund without the help of locals. This kunda is also known as Gaurikunda to the locals.