The wood apple tree near the Bantulburir temple itself stands out for its mystery- it has no thorns. It grows beside an ancient arjun tree, its bark etched with countless names. Devotees claim that inscribing their names there helps fulfil their heart’s desires.
Such intriguing stories surround the centuries-old Bantulburir temple in Masharpur, Ghatal, where Bantuldevi is revered as another form of Jaydurga. On Shashthi during Jagaddhatri Puja, locals and devotees from distant places gather to worship the goddess.
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According to villagers, even when Ghatal floods hit during the monsoon, the temple miraculously remains untouched by the water. Said to be 500–600 years old, the temple bears traces of Maurya and Gupta architecture. Many believe the king of Burdwan established the shrine, while royal priest Parbaticharan Bhattacharya brought Bantulburi to Ghatal and installed the deity here. The goddess’s ‘vehicle’(Bahon) is said to be two tigers, and legend has it that Parbaticharan once rode on tigers to perform the worship.
The temple’s priest, Bishwarup Bhattacharya, descendant of Parbaticharan, shares another curious tale. “Earlier, the bel tree had thorns. Many years ago, a devotee, pricked by one while plucking leaves, angrily placed a thorny branch on Bantulburi’s head. Since that day, the tree has remained thornless,” he says.
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Adding to the mystery, local teacher Jahar Ghosh explains that the temple is believed to rest on an invisible ship anchored to the nearby arjun tree. In ancient times, foreign traders sailing through the large canal would tie their ships to this very tree, and faint marks of those anchor ropes are said to remain visible even today. Now, devotees write names on the same tree, hoping for blessings and the well-being of their loved ones.
