At Nalhati in the Birbhum district, the Nalateswari Shakti Peetha marks the spot where, in the tradition of the Peethas, the throat or vocal channel (nala) of Sati is said to have fallen. The Goddess is worshipped as Nalateswari, a form of Kali, and from the falling of the nala the town of Nalhati takes its name.
Set amid low hills and woodland, the temple is known for a curious neem tree whose leaves are said to carry two tastes, bitter and sweet. The Goddess is invoked especially for ailments of the throat and for the power of speech, and Nalateswari remains a beloved seat of the Mother in the Birbhum cluster of Shakti Peethas.
