Nalhati

Nalhati Shakti Peetha sits on a rocky outcrop (the Nalhateshwari hill) in Nalhati town, Birbhum district, West Bengal. The site is where Sati's nalika (windpipe or throat-bone) fell — hence the name Nalhati, from nali (pipe/tube). The presiding goddess is Kalika, and her Bhairava companion is Yogesh.

The hilltop position gives the temple distinctive visual presence over the surrounding Birbhum countryside. The main sanctum contains a black-stone Kalika idol with the characteristic features of the fierce Kali form. Nalhati town itself is a rail junction — the Nalhati Junction station is an important point on the Rampurhat–Azimganj line — which gives it relatively good accessibility. It is part of the central Birbhum Shakti Peetha circuit, typically combined with Tarapith, Bakreshwar, and Attahas.

Sati's nalika — the windpipe, the channel of breath and voice — fell on this rocky hill. Voice, the sacred utterance, the power of mantra — all reside in the throat, which is the seat of Vishuddha chakra in Tantric anatomy. When this part of Sati fell here, the earth absorbed the power of divine speech. The goddess Kalika who arose embodies the dark power of the spoken word, especially the terrifying efficacy of mantra. Her companion Yogesh represents Shiva as the lord of Yoga, the master of inner silence.