Nandikeshwari Temple, Sainthia

Nandikeshwari temple, also called Nandikeshwari Tala, stands in the town of Sainthia in West Bengal and is counted among the Shakti Peethas. Its story goes back to Sati's self-sacrifice at the yajna of her father Daksha, who had insulted her and Shiva. Devotees believe that when Vishnu's Sudarshan Chakra cut apart Sati's body to calm Shiva's rage, her collarbone fell here. The goddess's name joins Nandi, Shiva's bull, with Ishwari, meaning the goddess worshipped by Nandi. The present temple dates from 1913, Bengali year 1320.

The main image is a black stone that has turned almost red under the sindoor applied by devotees, and it wears a silver crown and three golden eyes. Within the compound are shrines to Ram and Sita, Shiva, Maha Saraswati, Maha Laxmi and Ganesha, Laxmi-Narayana, Radha Govinda, Bhairav and Hanuman. A large sacred banyan stands in the grounds, where devotees tie red and yellow threads when making wishes.