Kiriteshwari village, around 18 kilometres from Murshidabad, has been named the best tourism village in India. In a statement, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said, "Glad to share and announce that Kiriteshwari in the Murshidabad district of West Bengal has been selected by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, as the Best Tourism Village of India. The selection has happened in the Best Tourism Village Competition,2023, from among 795 applications received from 31 States/ UTs. MoT, GoI will give away awards on 27th September in New Delhi. I congratulate the people of the village. Jai Bangla!"
The Union government proclaimed Kiriteshwari the winner out of 795 contestants from all over India who were competing for the title of Best Tourism Village this year.
The yearly contest sponsored by the tourism ministry aims to improve and promote rural life and cultural heritage of potential rural tourist destinations in India.
About Kiriteshwari
Kiriteshwari village is located in Kiritkona village near the bank of Bhagirathi River, in Murshidabad district. Aside from local handloom enterprises, the area is also home to the 1,000 year old Kiriteshwari temple, one of India's 51 Shaktipeethas. The Shaktipeethas are Shaktism worship shrines built on the spots where various body parts of goddess Sati were supposed to have fallen. The shrine includes the Kiriteswari temple and the Kiriteswari Gupta temple.
Locals refer to the temple as Mahishamardini. And the deity is also known as Mukuteshwari. The old temple is thought to have been destroyed in 1405, and the current one was built in the 19th century by Darpanarayan, King of Lalgola.
The Pilgrim Circuit
Before the announcement, the district tourism administration had established pilgrim and tourist amenities around the temple and approved 19 homestays in the village. During the months of Poush and Baisakh, the village gets many pilgrims. So does the Jagatbandhu Dham, located nearby. These temples have emerged as a pilgrimage circuit with Charbangla, Raj Rajeswari, Bhaskar Pandit, and Bhattabati Shiv temple.
Getting There
Kiriteshwari village is around 5 kilometres from the Bhagirathi riverbank and approximately 2 kilometres from the Dahapara station on the Azimganj-Katwa line. On NH-34, it lies 9 kilometres from Palsandamore.
The nearest airport is at Kolkata (around 195 km from Murshidabad). You can avail of taxi services to Murshidabad. The nearest railway station is at Murshidabad, which is connected to Howrah, Mumbai, Chennai, Ahmedabad, and several other Indian cities. Taxi services are available from the station.