Cattala Shakti Peetha

Chandranath Temple is situated on Chandranath Hill at Sitakunda in Chattogram district, Bangladesh. The hill is a major Hindu pilgrimage landscape containing shrines associated with both Shiva and the Goddess. The principal hilltop temple is dedicated to Chandranath, a form of Shiva, while the Shakti tradition of the site centres on Bhavani. The steep ascent, elevated setting and concentration of sacred places have made Sitakunda an important destination for pilgrims from Bangladesh and neighbouring regions.

The site is identified with the Chattala or Chandrasekhara Shakti Peetha. According to the tradition recorded in this database, Sati’s right arm, or dakshina-bahu, fell here. The goddess is worshipped as Bhavani and the associated Bhairava is Chandrasekhara. This pairing of Bhavani and Chandrasekhara explains why the Shakti Peetha and the famous Shiva temple are understood as parts of one sacred complex rather than unrelated institutions.

Shiva Chaturdashi and Maha Shivaratri are the largest pilgrimage occasions, when extensive fairs and ritual gatherings take place around Sitakunda and Chandranath Hill. Navaratri is also important for worship of the Goddess. The journey up the hill is itself treated as an act of devotion. Chandranath’s enduring significance comes from the union of Shaiva and Shakta traditions, the revered body-part narrative and the site’s commanding natural landscape overlooking the Chattogram region.