On Kolkata Kali Trail
The deity of Kali is almost synonymous to the city of Kolkata (Calcutta) so much so that the Goddess is affectionately referred to as Kali Kolkatta-wali. Her presence is felt all over the city as a guardian deity since ancient times. She is revered for her fierce appearance while her feminine maternal form imparts a feeling of security. The multitude of stories about Shiva and Shakti is endless in Hindu mythology. Kolkata is one of the 51 Shakti peeths. Her various forms have been mentioned in folklores and literature as well. The legacy of Dakat Kali or The One worshipped by the Bandits has been immortalized in the literary work Devi Chaudhurani by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay. One also finds mention about the ferocious form worshipped by Kapaliks and Tantriks in the novel Kapalkundala by the same author. Preaching by saints like Ramprasad Sen and later by Sri Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa invoked the feeling of protective maternal form rather than her atrocious nature. A popular genre of music namely Shyama sangeet speaks of the glory of Goddess Kali. Apart from Hindus, her legacy has been preached by Muslims like Kazi Nazrul Islam and Irish born Sister Nivedita. Kolkata has some hundreds of temples dedicated to Maa Kali.
Travelling from North to South Kolkata here’s an account of some the famous Kali temples one encounters en route.
The
Dakshineshwar Kali Temple is found on the River Hoogly’s eastern bank. Bhavatarini
is the presiding deity of this well-known temple in West Bengal. In the middle
of the 19th century, a philanthropist and devotee of Kali named “Rani Rashmoni”
erected this lovely temple. It is one of the largest Kali temples in West
Bengal and offers Radhe Krishna and Lord Shiva equal reverence.
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Aadyapeeth
Kali Mandir was set up by a young Brahmin named
Annada Charan Bhattacharya who was a deeply religious man, filled with devotion
to the Divine Mother Kali and the great nineteenth-century Bengali saint, Sri
Ramakrishna. Sri Ramakrishna told him to go to the Eden Gardens, a
magnificent British-built public garden in Calcutta, and to look there for an
idol of the Divine Mother under two trees. There, at the bottom of a pond,
Annada and three companions found the image. A commemorative plaque marks the
spot today. The image was judged by experts to be from the Bhuddistic period. A
later encounter with a sadhu confirmed that the image had indeed originated in
antiquity, in a temple in the district of Gaya. The idol of Aadya Maa
was a little more than a foot tall, carved out of one solid piece of black
marble, with sparkling jewels set in her eyes. She is worshipped as Kali. According
to Her command, the image was photographed the following morning and copies
circulated to any devotees who wanted them. Then, with a few companions, Annada
hired a boat, rowed out into the middle of the Ganges, and plunged Her into the
water. In 1919, Sri Ramakrishna revealed what Annada’s life’s work was to be:
the establishment of a temple to the Divine Mother Adya Ma. The temple was to
be in reality three temples enveloping one another: the first to Sri
Ramakrishna, the second to Adya Ma, and the third to Krishna and Radha. The
altar was to be three altars built like large stairsteps: Ramakrishna on the
bottom, Adya Ma in the middle, and Krishna and Radha on the top, encircled by
the sacred syllable ‘om’. In conjunction with the temple, there were to
be organisations for charitable outreach. On January 1921 a committee was
formed for the establishment of the Dakshineswar Ramakrishna Sangha. In early
1927, the Sangha acquired a piece of land with some adjoining old Shiva
temples, and on January 31, 1928, Annada Thakur broke ground for the temple on
a compound of nearly 14 acres.
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Shri
Punte Kali Tala located at 20, Kali Krishna Tagore
Street, Burrabazar was founded about 450 years ago. The permanent temple
structure was erected in 1558. At that time the area was a dense jungle. The
present premise was constructed in 1930. Daily worship is as per tantric
rituals with occasional animal sacrifice. The Goddess is seated on an altar of
5 trees (panchabati). The deity is flanked by Maa Sitala in white
stone.
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Thanthania
Siddheswari Kali Bari
A
tantric Sanyasi by the name of Udaynarayan Bhramachari worshipped
Goddess Kali on an altar of 5 human skulls. Later Ramshankar Ghosh who
worked for East India Company was given the responsibility of worship when
Udaynarayan Bhramachari left for pilgrimage. Ramshankar obtained the present
deity from a hermit. Construction is
believed to be in the year 1110 of Bengali calendar.
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Sri
Sri Nistarini Kali mandir situated at 25 Bethune Row was
constructed by Ishwar Chandra Naan in 1865. The Temple is also known as
Ichhapurti Mandir or Ichhamoyi Kali Mandir or Ichha Kali Mandir due to a
popular myth that wishes of devotees fulfilled here by Mata Nistarini Devi.
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Sri Sri Anandomoyee Kali Bari at Chittaranjan Avenue was established in 1125 Bengali calender about 300 years ago.
Sri Sri Kali and Shani mandir at Abhedananda Road (Beadon Street) was established in 1341 Bengali Calender by tantric Akhil Krishna Chakraborty.
Located
at 11, Brindaban Basu lane adjacent to Bidhan Sarani, is the Nistarini Kali
Temple of Goho family. The temple was established in 1850 (1257 Bengali
Calendar) Shib Chandra Goho. According to legends, during making of the Kali
idol by Nabin Bhaskar, for Rani Rashmoni’s Dakshineshwar Bhabatarini Mandir,
two additional idols were built which were discarded by Rashmoni herself due to
size mismatch with the temple. One of these is being worshipped as Nistarini
Kali by this Goho family.
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Siddheswari
Kalibari, Kumortuli, Baghbazar
Situated
at the crossing of Rabindra Sarani & Madanmohan Tola St, 520, Rabindra
Sarani, Kumartuli, Kolkata; the date of establishment of Siddheswari Kali
Temple is shrouded in mystery. According to folklore, a hermit named Kalibar
while meditating in the Himalayas received a divine vision which guided him to
the Shakti peeth amidst the dense jungle of Sutanuti by the side of the Adi
Ganga. He set up the idol and later handed over the responsibilities of daily
worship to a Kapalik. Natyasamrat Girish Chandra Ghosh also dedicated every
play of his life at the feet of Goddess. He used to affectionately call
Siddheshwari Kali of Bagbazar 'Ginny of North Kolkata'. Ramkrishna is said to
have made a ‘manat’ to the goddess Kali there to cure Girish Ghosh of cancer,
which subsequently happened though many believe that the the cancer was transferred
to Ramakrishna instead.
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| Picture from internet |
https://www.blogger.com/u/1/blog/posts/7479581961566189553?q=siddhesw
Firingi
Kali Bari- Situated at Bipin Behari Ganguly Street,
this temple is about 500 years old. A Portuguese by the name of Antony Hensman
came to Calcutta in the 19th century and by his devotional instinct
realized the Christ and Krishna are the same, a concept of unified religion
where the Supreme is worshipped by different names. He was a poet and soon
mastered Bengali language. He married a Hindu widow under whose influence he
started worshipping Kali. The idol was set up by him on an altar of 5
skulls. According to another view, a priest by the name of Srimanta Pundit
performed daily rituals for Lord Shiva here and later set up the deity of the
Goddess. Srimanta Pundit had cured several people of small pox disease
including foreigners (firingi in Bengali), who lived in the Bow Bazar
area. Hence the name Firingi Kali was given.
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Lake
Kali Bari located at Sothern Avenue is also known as Sri
Sri 108 Kali Mata mandir. The Goddess Karunamoyee Kali appears as Dakshina
Kali in a serene form. The priest sits on an altar of 5 skulls. The temple
was established by sage Haripada Chakraborty when the idol floated up on a
lake. Construction started on 13th April 1949.
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Manohor
Pukur Kali Bari - The Decoit Manohar Bagdi built the
Manoharpukur Kalibari. It is reported that at the time, human sacrifices were a
common practice. The original temple was destroyed and the present temple was
constructed nearby in 1891. The present temple was built by Kamakha Charan
Mukhopadhyay, a sadhu, in the last decade of the nineteenth century.
https://www.blogger.com/u/1/blog/post/edit/7479581961566189553/1125603095570698606
One
of the 51 Shakti Peethas, the Kalighat Temple in West Bengal is
located at the edge of the Adi Ganga, a little canal that connects Hoogly. It
is the place where Dakshayani or Sati’s right foot’s toes landed. One of
the well-known temples in West Bengal, it is about 200 years old and is still
in its original shape. Additionally, the Kalighat region of West Bengal is
well-known for its Krishna temple and Kalighat paintings.
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