Hanseswari Temple (West Bengal)

image credit : DR HIRAK MOOKHERJEE

Hanseswari Temple is situated at Bansberia, which is 47 km north of Kolkata in West Bengal. It was built in the beginning of 19th century. The main deity is the blue neem-wood idol of the four-armed goddess Hanseswari, a manifestation of Goddess Kali.

image credit : anirbanghosh1988

The temple is 21 m high and has 13 towers. The peak of each tower is shaped as a lotus flower. Built according to Tantric principles, this five-storey shrine follows the structure of a human body – Ira, Pingala, Bajraksha, Sushumna and Chitrini.

It is stands on theeastern side of Hooghly, and is the largest temple in the vicinity. It was completed in 1814-15 after 15 years of work; Several Benaras masons were employed, and the roof is of the Benaras style. It has 13 cupolas, eight over the verandahs and their corners, then four higher cupolas in the middle, and lastly a central tower (the tallest) rising 60 to 70 feet high. The structure of the Goddess Kali temples is the representation of ‘Tantrik Satchakrabhed’.