Sri Kalighat Kali Temple, West Bengal

Address

Sri Kalighat Kali Temple, Shankar Lane, Kali Temple Rd, Anami Sangha, Kalighat, Kolkata, West Bengal 700026

Diety

Shakti: Kalika Bhairava: Nakuleshwar Body part or ornament: Right Toes

Introduction

Kalighat Kali Temple is a temple in Kalighat, Kolkata, West Bengal, India dedicated to the goddess Kali. It is one of the 51 Shakti Peethas. Kalighat was a Ghat (landing stage) sacred to Kali on the old course (Adi Ganga) of the Hooghly river (Bhāgirathi) in the city of Kolkata. The name Kolkata is said to have been derived from the word Kalikatadevi of Kalighat Temple. The river over a period of time has moved away from the temple. The temple is now on the banks of a small canal called Adi Ganga which connects to the Hooghly. Hence the name Adi (original) Ganga.

Puranic Significance

The Kalighat temple in its present form is only about 200 years old, although it has been referred to in MansarBhasan composed in the 15th century, and in Kavi Kankan Chandi of the 17th century. The present structure of the temple was completed under the Sabarna Roy Chowdhury family’s patronage in 1809. Mention of the Kali temple is also found in LalmohonBidyanidhis’s ‘SambandaNirnoy”. Only two types of coins of Chandragupta II, who incorporated Vanga in the Gupta Empire, are known from Bengal. His Archer type coins, which became the most popular type of coinage with the Gupta rulers after Kumaragupta I, have been found in Kalighat. This is evidence of the antiquity of the place. ANOTHER STORY OF SATI: In Hindu mythology, the son of Brahma, King Prajapati Daksha had a daughter named Sati. Princess Sati grew up adoring the legends and tales of Shiva, and when finally her age of getting married came, she knew it was only the ascetic Lord Shiva of Kailash where her heart and soul resided. Soon enough, Daksha’s daughter left her father’s luxuries and palace and began her meditation to win Shiva’s heart. She performed intense penance in dense forests and renounced food completely. When she finally pleased Shiva through her austerities, the lord of Kailash appeared in front of her and agreed to marry her.The legend goes that Sati and Shiva were happy in their marital bliss, but their marriage had not gone down too well with King Daksha, who considered ascetic Shiva nothing short of an uncouth lad who lives a hermit’s life not worthy of his daughter. So when Daksha organized a great yajna, he invited all the deities, gods and sages–but consciously excluded his son-in-law Shiva to insult him. Hurt by her father’s decision, Sati decided to visit her father and demand the reason for not inviting them. When she entered Daksha’s palace, she was bombarded with insults directed towards the Shiva. Haughty and proud King Prajapati Daksha called him all sorts of names right from a dishevelled god who hung out in graveyard to the supposed ‘lord of the beasts’. Unable to bear anything against her husband, a devastated Goddess Sati threw herself in the glowing scared fire of yajna. When Shiva’s attendants informed him about the demise of his wife, he grew enraged and created Veerbhadra from a lock of his hair. Veerbhadra created havoc in Daksha’s palace and killed him. Meanwhile, mourning his beloved soulmate’s death, Shiva tenderly held Sati’s body and started his dance of destruction (taandav). To save the universe and bring back Shiva’s sanity, Lord Vishnu cut Sati’s lifeless body using Sudharshan Chakra into 51 pieces.The Temple at Kalighat is revered as an important Shakti Pith, by the Shaktism sect of Hinduism. Kalighat is regarded as one of the 51 Shakti Peethas of India, where the various parts of Sati’s body are said to have fallen, in the course of Shiva’s Rudra Tandava. Kalighat represents the site where the toes of the right foot of Dakshayani or Sati fell. Kalighat is also associated with the worship offered to Kali by a Dasanami Monk by name ChowrangaGiri, and the Chowringee area of Calcutta is said to have been named after him.

Special Features

The image of Kali in this temple is unique. It does not follow the pattern of other Kali images in Bengal. The present idol of touchstone was created by two saints – AtmaramBrahmachari and BrahmanandaGiri. Presently, the three huge eyes, long protruding tongue made of gold and four hands, which all are made of gold too. Two of these hands holding a scimitar and a severed head of the asura king ‘Shumbha’.

Festivals

Festivals like Kali Puja, Durga Puja, PoilaBoishakh, the Bengali New Year day and Sankranti witness huge number of devotees at the temple with offerings.

Century/Period/Age

1000 years old

Nearest Bus Station

Kalighat

Nearest Railway Station

Howrah

Nearest Airport

Kolkata

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