17/08/2026
Chamunda – Part 38
Chamunda or Kankali-mata at Vardhaman in Bengal
The Chamunda from the Saptamatrika temple of Jajpur has later been fitted with a silver tongue. Similarly, a beautiful ashtabhuja (eight handed) Chamunda from Kanchannagar area of Bardhaman (Burdwan) in West Bengal, has been later fitted with a silver tongue. This idol is popular by the name ‘Kankaleshwari Kali’. She is also called ‘Kankali mata’ which means ‘The Skeletal Mother’. Carved on a single 5-foot-tall and 3-foot-wide black stone, the idol was reportedly found in the nearby Damodar River around 1700 CE. She has been installed in a Bengali traditional Nabaratna (nine-spire) style temple called Kankaleshwari Kali Temple. The presence of this idol establishes popularity of ta***ic Chamunda worship in Medieval time in Bengal.
The photo has been taken by Ms. Arya Ghosh. Thanks to her.
