Ancient Kalighat Kali Temple in Kolkata 2024 | One of the holiest of the 51 Shakti Peethas in India

Kalighat Kali Temple is a Hindu temple in Kalighat, Kolkata, West Bengal, India, dedicated to the Hindu goddess Kali. It is one of the 51 Shakti Pithas in eastern India.
Regarded as one of the holiest of the 51 Shakti Peeths on Earth, the Kalighat Kali Temple is a must visit place in Kolkata due to its history and legend. The temple is dedicated to the Hindu Goddess Kali and is located by the banks of Adi Ganga, which is a small canal that connects to the Hooghly River. The canal is named Adi Ganga as it used to be the original course of the Hooghly River and ‘Adi’ means original.
History of Kalighat Kali Temple Kolkata
The present temple building was built in the 19th Century and is 200 years old. However, the temple’s reference has also been found in 15th Century composition of Mansar Bhasan and also in Kavi Chandi that was published during the 17th Century. There is another mention of the Kalighat Kali temple in Lalmohon Bidyanidhis's 'Sambanda Nirnoy".
The original temple is said to have been a small hut structure which was later transformed as a proper temple commissioned by King Manasingha during early 16th century. It was under the patronage of Sabarna Roy Chowdhury’s family of Barisha that the present structure was completed in around 1809.
The question whether the temple belonged to antiquity has been answered with great description and factual proofs of presence of coinage belonging to the Gupta Empire. The most popular archer coins that became famous during the Gupta rule after Kumargupta I were found in Kalighat and hence the proof of temple being even in Gupta dynasty.
The Kali Idol
The idol of the Goddess Kali, featuring three big eyes, four hands and a long protruding tongue, is made out of sandstone that was crafted by the twin saints, Atmaram Giri and Brahmananda Giri. The tongue and the eyes of the idol are made of gold.
The idol does not resemble the usual idols of the Goddess at other places where Kali is worshipped. The hands of the Goddess hold a scimitar, signifying the divine knowledge and a severed head of the demon king, Shumbha, which signifies the human ego that is supposed to be slayed by the divine knowledge and removed from our behaviours. That is how one can attain moksha.
Legend of Kalighat Kali Temple Kolkata
The Kalighat Kali Temple is being regarded as one of the most important Shakti Peeths out of 51 peeths that are spread across India, Bangladesh and Pakistan. The mythology behind the temple is related to Rudra Tandav of Shiva after he was enraged by self-immolation of his consort, Sati, after an altercation with her father on not being invited for a puja ceremony at her father’s place.
It is said that Shiva carried Sati’s burnt body while performing Tandav and that’s when various parts of the Goddess’s body fell on earth. The right toe of Sati fell at Kalighat and that’s where the temple was built later and the presiding deity here is called Kalika, after whom, the city was named as Kolkata.
Out of the many legends associated with the Kalighat Kali Temple, the most talked about is of the Brahmin named Atma Ram, who found a human toe shaped stone structure in the Bhagirathi River. It is believed that he was guided by a ray of light that appeared to be coming from the direction of the river.
The Brahmin prayed to the piece of stone that evening and had a dream the same night wherein he was informed about Sati’s toe that had fallen in the river and that the stone piece he found was nothing else but Sati’s right toe. He was asked in his dreams to set up a temple and also search for a Swambhu Lingam of Nakuleshwar Bhairav, which he eventually did. Atma Ram later started worshipping both Swambhu Lingam and the toe shaped stone.
Location: Anami Sangha, Kalighat, Kolkata, West Bengal 700026
Temple Timings: From 05:00 AM to 02:00 PM (Morning) 5:00 PM - 10:30 PM (Evening)
Note: Temple is closed from 02:00 PM to 05:00 PM for Bhog
Festivals: Durga pooja, Kali Puja, Pohela Boishakh, Navratri, and Dondi Festival are the major festivals of the temple.
Best time to Visit
From October to March is the best time to visit. During this time, Navratri is celebrated with great pomp and show, and a large number of devotees visit the temple and bow their heads in front of temple deities. Moreover, the months of October to March are considered best to travel to Kolkata.
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