Bamakhepa

Seated Bamakhepa idol at the Tarapith temple complex

Bamakhaypa, goddess Tara's ardent devotee lived near the temple and meditated in the cremation grounds.[1] He was a contemporary of famous Bengali saints like Ramakrishna Paramhamsa and Vishuddhanand Paramhamsa from Gyanganj or Siddhashram who established Navmundi Asan at Kashi. At a young age, he left his house and came under the tutelage of a Siddha tantric saint named Kailashpati and a vedic saint named Swami Mokkshadananda, who lived in a village name Dakshingram, in Birbhum district. Later he relocated to maluti, an old temple village on the banks of Dwarka River. He stayed in Mouliksha temple for continuing the worship of Holy Mother.[3]

Bamakhyapa's Temple at Maluti in Jharkhand

He perfected yoga and Tantric sadhana (worship) under the tutelage of his guru baba Kailashpati, and after years of Tantra sadhana and akhanda brahmacharya he was able to Develop his sushumna naadi and activate the 7 Chakras of his body, additionally Bamakhyapa also did the "shav sadhana" which is also considered as the last stage of tantra sadhana before deity appears before the sadhaka. Bamakhyapa was one of those rare and extraordinary saints who successfully completed the shav sadhana that too on the auspicious night of "kaushiki amavasya". His sadhana was successful at the end and it is said that Maa tara herself appeared before him and gave him "Brahmagyan"(knowledge of self realization) additionally goddess also gave him the 8 siddhis so that he can now continue his sadhana on the "panchamundi asana" (previously used by brahmarishi Vasistha) of Tarapith .His siddhi on "Tara sadhana" also resulted in his becoming the spiritual head of Tarapith. People came to him seeking blessings or cures for their illness, in distress or just to meet him. He did not follow the set rules of the temple and as result was even once roughed up by the temple priests for taking food meant as offering for the deity. It is said: Ma Tara appeared in the dream of Maharani ("Queen") of Natore- Rani Annadasundari Devi and told her to feed the saint first as he was her son. After this incident, Bamakhaypa was fed first in the temple before the deity and nobody obstructed him.[4] It is believed that Ma Tara gave a vision to Bamakhaypa in the cremation grounds in her ferocious form and then took him to her breast.[1] He is also considered one of the main spiritual figures of Bengal Renaissance for his unbound devotion for Ma Tara.

Beginning in 2007, a teleserial named 'Sadhak Bamakhepa' about Bamakhepa ran on television in Bengal. By late 2011, it had run for 1500 episodes.[5]

In the teleserial Mahapeeth Tarapeeth, the life of the ardent devotee Bamakhepa was also depicted elaborately.[6]