Sri Hanseswari Temple is situated at Bans Baria, West Bengal. This place is near Katta. It is in the eastern side of River Hoogley.
The temple is dedicated to Sri Kali Maa. The name of the main Deity is Sri Hanseswari. She is also referred to as Sri Hangeswari. Here Sri Kali Maa represents both Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathi. The words Hong and Saa are said to denote the breathing in and breathing out during Pranayama.
Origination of the temple
The temple is said to be built as per tantric chakra formulae. The temple construction was originally said to be initiated by Sri Raja Nrushinghadeb Roy in the 1790s. His wife Smt. Rani Shankari was said to complete the temple building by early 1800s. Exact details could not be ascertained.
Structure of the temple
The main temple has thirteen towers. Each of the towers represent the budding lotus. On the central tower, the manifestation of the golden son with thousand rays is said to be depicted.
The structure of the temple is said to represent the Kundalini Yogic stream (Nadi channel) of human body as follows:
-Ira (left channel, cold, denoting moon, feminine)
-Pingala (right channel, denoting sun, masculine)
-Sushumna (central channel) with subtle channels Bajraksha (or Vajra, the radiant / strong) & Chitrini(the fine).
The inner precincts of the temple are said to depict the human anatomy.
Sri Hanseswari sanctum
The main sanctum is for Sri Hanseswari Devi. The Devi idol is made of blue neem wood. The base represents the many petalled blue lotus. On that the red lotus is depicted. The lying image of Lord Shiva on small marble planks is placed on this.
From the naval of Sri Lord Shiva, a red lotus emanates. On this lotus, Maa Devi stands. She stands on Her right leg. Her left leg is folded. The left foot is on Her right thigh. She has four hands. In the upper left hand, she has a sword. Her upper right hand is in abhaya (protective) mudra. She holds the head of the demon in Her lower left hand. Her lower right hand is in varada (blessing abundance) mudra.
If we take Parikrama around the sanctum, there are small shrines with Shiv Ling along the main structure.
Ananta Basudeb Shrine
Near the main shrine, there is a dedicated shrine for Lord Krishna. It is the sanctum of Sri Ananta Basudeb. It is built on terracotta.
Here also Sri Krishna’s idol is made of blue neem.
There were nice carvings in the surrounded pillars of this Shrine.
Ambience
The temple is maintained by Archeological Survey of India. There is lush greenery within the temple compound.
The place is very calm and quiet. One can meditate for long. There is no sound of traffic or any other noise. We can easily commune with nature. The place is full of positive and energizing vibes.
Regular Pujas are done to the Deities.
How to reach this place
From Howrah, local trains are available to Bans Baria. From the railway station, share autos are available to reach the temple.
If for some reason the return train is missed, one can go to Athi Saptha gram, the nearby railway station and take a train to Howrah from there.
Cabs can also be booked from Kolkatta city.
