Firingi Kali Bari, Bowbazar

  • 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. 
  • Originally the idol was made with clay which was destroyed during the communal riot of 1946. This was replaced by the present idol. 
  • In 1991 all ornaments and utensils of the Goddess was stolen which were later recovered as revealed by a mysterious dark lady.
  • The idol is flanked by Durga idol made of 8 metals, Jagaddhatri and Narayan shila. Animal sacrifice is not practiced now.



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