Ketugram · Bardhaman · West Bengal · Ajay River
Where the left arm (bahu) of Goddess Sati fell upon the fertile plains of Bardhaman — on the banks of the sacred Ajay river at Ketugram. Bahula Devi, the lavish and generous mother, presides here in her most intimate form — seated with her sons Kartikeya and Ganesha, quietly bestowing abundance upon all who come to her with genuine longing.
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Bahula Devi Shaktipeeth stands in Ketugram village in the Purba Bardhaman district of West Bengal, on the banks of the Ajay river — about 8 kilometres from Katwa. This is one of the most intimate and emotionally resonant of Bengal's many Shakti Peethas: a quiet riverside shrine of ancient standing where the Goddess is worshipped as mother, nurturer, and boundless giver.
According to the Peethanirṇaya and the Shivacharita — two of the most authoritative texts on Shakti Peetha locations — this is the sacred spot where the left arm (vama bahu) of Goddess Sati fell as Lord Vishnu's Sudarshana Chakra dismembered her body. The Sanskrit verse from the Peethanirṇaya is explicit: "bahulaayaam vaama-baahur-bahula-[a]akhyaa ca devataa | bhiiruko bhairavas-tatra sarva-siddhi-pradaayakah" — "At Bahula, the left arm fell; the goddess there is called Bahula; Bhiruka is the Bhairava; the granter of all perfections."
The name itself carries its meaning across two registers. Bahu in Sanskrit means arm — the body part that fell here. Bahula means lavish, abundant, generous — the nature of the Goddess who presides here. The arm is the limb that holds, carries, embraces and gives. That Sati's left arm fell here makes Bahula Devi the embodiment of the mother's protective embrace and inexhaustible generosity.
Unlike the grand, architecturally elaborate Shakti Peethas of pilgrimage circuits, Bahula Devi's temple is deliberately modest — a simple, beautiful structure with a quiet courtyard near the Ajay riverbank. Inside the sanctum, the Goddess sits in her most familial form, flanked by her sons Kartikeya (god of war and fertility) and Ganesha (god of auspicious beginnings). This family grouping is rare among Shakti Peethas and signals that Bahula is worshipped as Ma — mother before all else.
Why People Visit
A quiet, deeply personal Peetha — where the Goddess in her most maternal form listens to every sincere wish. Pilgrims come for healing, abundance, the fulfillment of wishes, and the rare experience of a Shakti shrine that feels like a mother's home.
Getting There
Ketugram is in Purba Bardhaman district, about 190 km from Kolkata and 56 km from Bardhaman city. The nearest railhead is Katwa Junction, approximately 8 km from the temple. Bardhaman is the most practical base for pilgrims arriving from outside Bengal.
Visitor Guidelines
Bahula Devi is a living village temple, intimate and personal in nature. Come with the quiet respect of a guest entering a mother's home — not a tourist visiting a monument.
On the quiet banks of the Ajay river, in the golden mustard plains of Bardhaman, the Goddess sits with her sons and waits. She is not distant or fierce or hard to reach. She is Bahula — lavish, abundant, present. Come to Ketugram with your genuine prayer. She has never left anyone empty-handed.