Bhabanipur, located at Sherpur upazilla of Bogura District, Bangladesh, is one of the 51 Shaktipeeths of Goddess Sati. It is a sacred pilgrimage site for the followers of Hinduism. The Shakti Devi of this Shaktipeeth is Ma Aparna and the Bhairava is Baba Bamesh/Bamon.
Historical Significance of the Site: According to enormous mythological stories in the Puranas, at some time in the Satya Yuga, King Daksha arranged a ritual ceremony called “Yagna” with the sole aim of insulting his son-in-law, God Shiva, the husband of Sati in which almost all the deities were invited except for Lord Shiva and Sati. Unable to bear the insult towards Her husband, Sati protested by self-immolation by jumping into the fire (of the yagna). At this incident, enraged and crazed with grief, God Shiva destroyed Daksha’s sacrifice and picked up the remains of Sati’s body and danced the dance of destruction (with Sati’s body on His shoulders) throughout the Universe. The other Gods had to intervene to stop this dance and the Vishnu’s disc (chakra) cut through Sati’s corpse. So the various parts of Sati’s body fell at several spots all through the Indian subcontinent and formed the sites which are now known as Shaktipeeths. At the Bhabanipur Temple premises, the left anklet (ornament), ribs of left chest, right eye or the bedding of Sati had fallen.
A legend says that once a conch-bangles dealer was passing by a pond in a jungle near the temple of Ma Bhabani. At that time, a little girl with a tip of vermilion on her forehead came to him and told him that she was the daughter of Natore’s palace. She bought a pair of conch-bangles from the dealer and requested him to collect the price of that bangles from the Queen of Natore kept at a specified place of the palace. Hearing all this from the dealer, the Queen rushed to the spot with him and her men. On the earnest prayer of the conch-dealer, Ma Bhabani raised from that pond showing Her two wrists with the conch-bangles worn. At this incident, this holy “Shakha-Pukur” (conch-bangles pond) became famous and the devotees take their sacred bath in this pond when they come here.
The Temples: The Temple premise comprises of 4 acres (12 'bighas') of land surrounded by boundary walls. Main Temple, 'Belbaran Tola', four Shiva Temples, 'Patal Bhairav Shiv' Temple, 'Gopal' Temple, 'Basudev' Temple and 'Nat' Temple/'Atchala'. In the North side, there are 'Sheba Angan', sacred 'Shakha Pukur', two 'Bath Ghat', two Shiva Temples outside the boundary walls and a 'Panchamundo Asana'.
The devotees can reach Bhabanipur through Mirzapur "Ranirhat More" (on Dhaka-Rangpur highways, then Taras-Ranirhat-Sherpur Road, then turning at Amboil Bot-tola towards Bhabanipur Road) or Ghoga Bot-tola bus-stoppage (on Dhaka-Rangpur highways) of Sherpur Upazilla of Bogura District.
In the morning "Pravati" and "Balyo" "Bhog", at noon worship and "Anna" "Bhog" and in the evening "Arati" and "Bhog" are offered to the Gods and Goddesses. Besides the devotees can offer “Bhog” to the Gods and Goddesses every day and take “Prasad” later.
Every year, on the auspicious occasions of Maghi Purnima and Ram Nabomi, two major festivals take place on the Bhabanipur Temple premises. Besides "Sharodiyo Durgotshov", "Dipannyta Shyama Puja" and "Nabanno" festivals also take place here.