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Bhabanipur (Bengali: ভবানীপুর) is a sacred site around Karatoyatat located at . It is about 28 km distance from Sherpur Upazila of Bogra District, Rajshahi Division, Bangladesh. It is one of the Shakti Peethas.
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The Bhabanipur Shaktipeeth is a place of worship consecrated to the Goddess Ma Bhabani. The Shakti devi here is called Arpana and the Bhairava is Vaman. As to which part of “Sati” Ma Tara’s body fell at Bhabanipur, there is a dispute. It could be left anklet (ornament), ribs of left chest, right eye, or bedding (according to various sources).
Being a Shakti Peetha, it is a historic place of pilgrimage for the followers of Hinduism. There are numerous temples at this Shakti-peeth premises which are visited by pilgrims from all over the country and abroad, irrespective of sectarian differences.
There is a legend saying that while once a conch-bangles dealer was passing by the side of a lonely pond in a dense jungle near the then Bhabanipur temple, a little girl with a tip of vermilion on her forehead approached him and told him that she was the daughter of the Natore Rajbari (Palace). She bought a pair of conch-bangles from him and requested him to collect the price of that bangles from the then Maharani Bhabani from a basket kept in the Rajbari at a specified place. Her appearance and polite words overwhelmed the conch-dealer. The Maharani (Queen) rushed to the place/site with her men and the conch-dealer as soon as she heard this from him. On the earnest prayer by the conch-dealer, Ma Bhabani raised from that pond showing her two wrists with the conch-bangles worn. The Maharani and the men present there were surprised, and the divinity of Mother Bhabani spread throughout this subcontinent. This is that sacred "Shakha-Pukur" (conch-bangles pond) where the devotees take their holy bath when they go there.
Surrounded by a boundary wall, the Temple comprises about an area of four acres (12 bighas) - Main Temple, Belbaran Tala, 4 Shiva Temples, Patal Bhairava Shiva Temple, Gopal Temple, Bashudev Temple and Nat Mandir. On the north side, there is a Sheba Angan, Holy Shakha-Pukur (conch-bangles pond), 2 bathing ghats, 4 Shiva Temples outside the boundary wall and a Panchamunda Asana.
Pravati and Balya Bhog worship and Anna Bhog at noon, and Arati and Bhog at evening. Devotees can offer Bhog to the divine mother “Tara” (Ma Bhabani) every day and take Prasad later.
Every year, festivals take place at the Bhabanipur Temple premises on auspicious occasions. They are:
Devotees can go to Bhabanipur from Dhaka via Jamuna Bridge and after passing Chandaikona in Sirajganj District, they can reach Ghoga Bot-tola bus stoppage on the same highway from where they can reach the Bhabanipur Temple premises by availing themselves of van or scooter. Pilgrims from the districts located to the North of Bogra can reach the Bhabanipur Temple premises by passing through Sherpur, Mirzapur and Ghoga Bot-tola (bus stoppage) of Bogra district.
The Bhabanipur Temple Development, Renovation, and Management Committee had been supervising the temple activities and Ma Bhabani's properties from 1991 up until 2010. But because of misuse of "Debottor/Arpito Sampotty Ain" (Vested Property Act), a large portion of Ma Bhabani's properties are being illegally occupied by miscreants. Besides a former publicity and publication editor of the committee, journalist Dipankar Chakrobarty, was murdered in 2004, but his murderers have not yet been brought to justice. Moreover In 2007, some officers of Bangladesh Army illegally destroyed the Guest House which was under construction by the committee for the devotees.
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