Vamakhepa

(1843–1911) Ascetic devotee (bhakta) of
the Goddess in her fierce and powerful
form as Tara; his presence and supposed
miraculous powers are largely responsible for the importance of Tarapith as an
important regional sacred site (tirtha) in
West Bengal. From his earliest childhood, Vamakhepa was occupied with
thoughts of the Goddess, and from an
early age he took up residence in the
cremation ground at Tarapith, where he
undertook the worship of Tara. Various
stories describe his power to heal people
of all sorts of ailments, as well as his
complete disregard for all accepted
standards—according to tradition, he
once urinated on the temple’s image of
Tara, to show his contempt for a deity
made of iron, and was struck in punishment by the Goddess.