Bamakhyapa (Bengali: বামাখ্যাপা, romanizedBamakhæpa, lit.'mad saint'; 1837–1911[1]), born Bamacharan Chattopadhyay, was an Indian Hindu saint who resided in Tarapith and whose shrine is also located in the vicinity of the Tara temple in Birbhum. He was born at Atla village in the Rampurhat subdivision of the Birbhum district.[2]

Bamakhepa
Bamakhepa
Personal
Born
Bamacharan Chattopadhyay

22 February 1837
DiedJuly 18, 1911(1911-07-18) (aged 74)
ReligionHinduism
NationalityIndian
TempleTarapith
Philosophy
Religious career
GuruSwami Kailashpati and Vedagya Mokshadananda
HonorsTarapith Bhairav
Memorial of Sadhak Bamakhyapa
Bamakhyapa's Temple at Maluti in Jharkhand
Seated Bamakhepa idol at the Tarapith temple complex

He was Goddess Tara's ardent devotee lived near the temple and meditated in the cremation grounds.[1] He stayed in Mouliksha temple for continuing the worship of Holy Mother.[3] Bamakhyapa was fed first in the temple before the deity and nobody obstructed him.[4] It is believed that Ma Tara gave a vision to Bamakhaypa in the cremation grounds in her ferocious form and then took him to her breast.[1]

Popular culture edit

Beginning in 2007, a teleserial named 'Sadhak Bamakhepa' about Bamakhepa ran on television in Bengal. By late 2011, it had run for 1500 episodes.[5]

In the teleserial Mahapeeth Tarapeeth, the life of the ardent devotee Bamakhepa was also depicted elaborately.[6]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c Kinsely, p. 111
  2. ^ Harding, Elizabeth U. (September 1993). Kali: The Black Goddess of Dakshineswar. ISBN 9780892546008.
  3. ^ "Break-in at heritage temple". www.telegraphindia.com. The Telegraph. 7 December 2013.
  4. ^ Harding, Elizabeth U. (1998). Kali: the black goddess of Dakshineswar. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. pp. 275–279. ISBN 81-208-1450-9. Retrieved 26 June 2010.
  5. ^ Gomolo news desk. (29 Nov 2011). "Sadhok Bamakhyapa becomes highly popular" Archived 4 October 2018 at the Wayback Machine (accessed 31 Jan 2013)
  6. ^ "আসছে নতুন ধারাবাহিক 'মহাপীঠ তারাপীঠ'". www.anandabazar.com (in Bengali). Anandabazar Patrika. 27 January 2022.

Further reading edit