Tucked away in the red-earth landscape of Birbhum district, about 230 km northwest of Kolkata, Bakreswar is one of those rare Indian destinations where geology and mythology fuse into something extraordinary. The town sits on a cluster of geothermal hot springs (some reaching temperatures of 80°C) that bubble up through ancient Precambrian rock, while overhead, the spires of one of India’s 51 Shakti Pithas pierce the Bengal sky.