Attahas Temple

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.