The Taraknath is a temple which is dedicated to one of the supreme God Shiva who is worshiped as Taraknath. It is a major pilgrimage place in the town of Tarakeswar, West Bengal. As we know Kolkata is very popular for its religious values, you can explore the real face of sanctum. The views enlighten your soul and make you to come again and again here. The entire city is mesmerized by umpteen religious places.

Taraknath is one of the oldest temple in the city, was built in the 18^th century. Thousands of devotees, from all over India come here to adore Lord Shiva and offer their prayers to him. It is believed that the shrines of Kali and Lakshmi Narayan and Dudhpukur, a tank to the north or the Shiva temple fulfill the prayers who take a dip in it. This temple has a typical Bangla architecture, with a veranda in its front.  The idol of the Lord is installed in the middle of the sanctum. The tetra faced veranda has three-vaulted railings on its roof. In front of the veranda, there is an assemblage hall for devotees.

A story behind Taraknath temple is very interesting, there is a legend associated with the establishment of this temple. It is said that a staunch devotee of Lord Shiva, whose name is Vishnu Das, migrated from Ayodhya to Hooghly, with his entire family. The local people of Hooghly, somehow, found him to be suspicious character. To prove his innocence, he burnt his hands with a red hot iron bar. After some days, his brother discovered a unique site in the nearby forest, where the cows yielded milk at a particular place every day.

And his brother discovered that a shivaling was present at that placed inside the earth. After this, a dream to Vishnu Das revealed that the idol was the symbol of the Tarkeshwar form of lord Shiva. And a temple was built there by the local villagers. The present form of the temple is said to have been built by Raja Bharamalla in 1729 AD.

The story behind the establishment of this temple is true or not, but the belief and faith records maximum crowd on the holy day of Mahashivratri at Taraknath temple. Another grand celebration at the temple is Chaitra Sankranti. Even on Monday, the temple is extremely crowded, as it is considered as the day of Lord Shiva.