GarlandGurule05 at 06:31, 19 February 2026

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{{Short description|Temple dedicated to Goddess Kali in India}}
{{EngvarB|date=May 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2015}}
{{Infobox Hindu temple
| image = File:Kalighat Kali Temple after renovation.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Night view of the Kalighat Temple
| map_type = India West Bengal
| map_caption = [[West Bengal]]
| coordinates = {{coord|22|31|12|N|88|20|31|E|type:landmark_region:IN-WB|display=inline,title}}
| country = {{flag|India}}
| state = [[West Bengal]]
| district =
| location = [[Kolkata]]
| elevation_m =
| deity = [[Kali]]
| festivals = ''[[Kali Puja]]''
| architecture =
| temple_quantity =
| monument_quantity =
| inscriptions =
| year_completed = 1809
| website = {{URL|https://www.kalighatkalitemple.com/}}
|religious_affiliation=[[Hinduism]]}}

'''Kalighat Kali Temple''' is a [[Hindu temple]] in [[Kalighat]], [[Kolkata]], [[West Bengal]], India, dedicated to the [[Hindu goddess]] [[Kali]], one of the 10 [[Mahavidya]]s in the [[Tantra#Hindu tantra|Hindu tantric]] tradition and the supreme deity in the [[Shaktism#Kalikula: family of Kali|Kalikula]] worship tradition.<ref name="Hindu_SB">{{cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/fr/2003/05/09/stories/2003050901460700.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030630031321/http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/fr/2003/05/09/stories/2003050901460700.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 30, 2003|title= Kali Mandir of Kolkata |last=Balakrishnan|first=S|date=May 9, 2003|work=[[The Hindu]]|access-date=2009-11-10}}</ref> The temple is one of the 51 ''[[Shakti Pitha]]s'' in India.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Paul |first=Santanu |date=2022-07-25 |title=Kalighat Kali Temple, the famous shakti peeth of Eastern India |url=https://www.bengalchronicle.com/2022/07/25/kalighat-kali-temple/ |access-date=2024-01-09 |website=Bengal Chronicle |language=en-GB}}</ref>

According to the [[Devi Bhagavata Purana]], [[Kalika Purana]] and Shakti Peetha Stotram, the toes of the right foot of [[Sati (Hindu goddess)|Goddess Sati]] fell here, after [[Lord Vishnu]]'s [[Sudarshan Chakra]] splintered her body into many parts to calm down [[Shiva|Mahadev]]'s rage during his cosmic dance.<ref>{{cite news |last1=আচার্য |first1=পার্থপ্রতিম |title=৫১ পীঠের অবস্থান এবং কোথায় দেবীর কোন অঙ্গ পড়েছিল জানেন? |url=https://www.anandabazar.com/horoscope/the-locations-of-51-peeth-dgtl-1/cid/927911 |access-date=9 December 2024 |work=[[Anandabazar Patrika]] |date=7 January 2019 |language=bn}}</ref> One of the oldest and most important places of worship in Eastern India, being one of the four [[Adi Shaktipeeth]] the temple draws hundred of thousands of devotees throughout the year, especially on occasions like [[Kali Puja]], [[New Year]], [[Poila Baisakh]], [[Snana Yatra]], [[Durga Puja]] and the numerous Amavasyas.<ref>{{cite news |title=Kolkata: Devotees throng Kalighat Temple on Bengali New Year's Day |url=https://www.aninews.in/news/national/general-news/kolkata-devotees-throng-kalighat-temple-on-bengali-new-years-day20240414140937/ |access-date=15 January 2025 |work=[[Asian News International]] |date=14 April 2024}}</ref>

== Legend and importance ==
[[File:Kalighat1.jpg|thumb|left|212px|Idol of Devi Kali at Kalighat Temple]]
The term ''Kalighat'' originated from the goddess Kali, who resides in the temple, and ''Ghat'' (riverbank), where the temple is located. Due to the importance of Maa Kali in this region, the place is also known as the ''Kali kshetra''.<ref name=":0" />

According to mythology, on learning about the death of [[Sati (Hindu goddess)|Sati]] by [[Sati (practice)|self-immolation]], [[Shiva]] was blinded in rage and started the [[Tandava|Tandav Nritya]] (Dance of Destruction). To prevent the world from imminent destruction, Lord [[Vishnu]] used his [[Sudarshan Chakra]] to cut the corpse of Sati into 51 pieces, which fell in various places of the Indian subcontinent.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Shakti Peeths Beyond India: Sacred Sites of Goddess Shakti|url=https://www.patrika.com/en/world-news/shakti-peeths-outside-india-sites-of-goddess-shakti-in-muslim-majority-nations-19968711|website=Patrika News|access-date=2025-12-02|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=What are Story Behind the Shakti Peethas in India|url=https://www.cottage9.com/blog/the-story-of-the-shakti-peethas/|website=www.cottage9.com|access-date=2025-12-02|language=en}}</ref> Kalighat is the site where the toes of the right foot of [[Dakshayani]] or [[shakti|Sati]] are said to have fallen.<ref name="indulge-express">{{cite news |last1=Mallik |first1=Prattusa |title=Spiritual Restoration: All you need to know about the Kalighat temple restoration project in Kolkata |url=https://www.indulgexpress.com/travel/2024/Apr/29/spiritual-restoration-all-you-need-to-know-about-the-kalighat-temple-restoration-project-in-kolkata |access-date=15 January 2025 |work=[[The New Indian Express|Indulge Express]] |date=29 April 2024}}</ref>

== History ==
The Kalighat Kali temple in its present form is about 200 years old, although it was referred to in Mansar Bhasan composed in the 15th century, and Kavi Kankan Chandi in the 17th century. Subsequently, it received patronage from some of the major [[Zamindars of Bengal|Zamindar]] families from [[Bengal]], among them the [[Bawali Raj]] and the [[Sabarna Roy Choudhury]] families being the most prominent.

The present structure of the temple was completed under the patronage of the [[Sabarna Roy Choudhury]] family in 1809. Santosh Roy Chowdhury, a Kali devotee himself, started the construction of the present-day temple in 1798. It took 11 years to complete the construction.<ref>{{Cite web |title=History |url=https://kalighatkalitemple.com/article/id/230/history |access-date=2023-01-30 |website=Kalighat Kali Temple}}</ref> The Roy Chowdhurys' traditional patronage of the deity is disputed.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Moodie|first=Deonnie|title=The Making of a Modern Temple and a Hindu City: Kalighat and Kolkata|date=2018-11-06|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-088528-1|language=en}}</ref> Pilgrims to the site practice a holy dipping event called ''Snan Yatra'' in the temple's ''Kundupukur'' tank.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Top Ten Temple Towns of India|publisher=Mark Age Publication|first=S.C.|last=Karkar|location=Kolkota|isbn=978-81-87952-12-1|year=2009|page=91}}</ref>

In 1835 Kashinath Roy built a ''Nat Mandir'' in the temple square. In 1843 [[Vaishnavism|Vaishnavite]] Uday Narayan Mondal, a member of the [[Bawali Raj]] family, established the present day ''ShyamRai'' temple in the Kalighat temple square. In 1858 a ''Dal Mancha'' was installed by Madan Gopal Koley for the ShyamRai temple.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gangopadhyay |first=Sri Bipul Kumar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JpigEAAAQBAJ |title=অলৌকিক লীলায় শ্রীরামকৃষ্ণ, মা সারদা, স্বামীজী (প্রথম খন্ড) |date=2005-10-03 |publisher=Jaytara Publishers |pages=222 |language=bn}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Cakrabartī |first=Sunīla |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I18tAAAAMAAJ |title=Lokāẏata Bāṃlā |date=1969 |publisher=Kalyāṇī Prakāśana |pages=38 |language=bn}}</ref>

== Architecture ==
The temple is constructed according to the [[Chala Style|ath-chala]] style of [[Bengal temple architecture]]. The roofs of the temple are gabled roofs, known as the ''chala'' in [[Bengali language|Bengali]], emulating the thatched roofed huts made of mud and twigs in rural Bengal.

The main temple is a four-sided building that features a truncated dome.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Images of Kalighat: Views around a temple neighbourhood|url=https://dagworld.com/images-of-kalighat-views-around-a-temple-neighbourhood.html|website=dagworld.com|access-date=2025-12-02|language=en}}</ref> The two roofs bear a total of eight faces.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Did you know Kalighat Temple has a special architecture found only in Bengal? – GetBengal story|url=https://www.getbengal.com/details/did-you-know-kalighat-temple-has-a-special-architecture-found-only-in-bengal-getbengal-story|website=Get Bengal|access-date=2025-12-02|language=en}}</ref> Both of them are painted in metallic silver colour while the borders at the cornice are painted with yellow, red, green and blue. The absolute top has three spires, the tallest of which has a triangular pennant flag. The outer walls of the temple are designed with diamond-shaped chessboard pattern styles of alternating green and white. The borders below the ath-chala are intricately designed with [[Terracotta temples of West Bengal|terracotta]] motifs of various Hindu deities and natural elements, which is a significant element in most of the historical temples in [[Architecture of Bengal|Bengal architecture]].<ref name="indulge-express" />

== Renovation ==
In 2024, the 200-year old temple received its first major modern era renovation since its establishment in 1809. Undertaken at a budget of {{INR|200}} crore, {{INR|165}} crore was provided by the [[Kolkata Municipal Corporation]], while [[Mukesh Ambani]] contributed {{INR|35}} crore from the [[Reliance Foundation]] as a sign of devotion towards Maa Kali. Instead of changing the fundamentals and the existing intricate [[Terracotta temples of West Bengal|terracotta]] mixed [[Chala Style|ath-chala]] style architecture, the existing ethos was kept intact and renovated. The redevelopment works were undertaken by Quintessence (landscape architects) with the supervision of conservation architect Kalyan Chakraborty and artist Tamal Bhattacharya, they discovered delicate works of [[Terracotta temples of West Bengal|terracotta]] hidden under the ath-chala style roofs, which they tried to preserve, also adding some new designs into the existing framework.<ref name="toi">{{cite news |last1=Karia |first1=Vedant |title=Kolkata’s 200-year-old Kalighat temple gets its first modern-era renovation |url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/my-kolkata/places/take-a-look-inside-the-landmark-restoration-of-kolkatas-kalighat-temple-with-artist-tamal-bhattacharya/cid/2001830 |access-date=15 January 2025 |work=The Telegraph |date=20 February 2024}}</ref>

Bhattacharya also discovered many nature-inspired [[Terracotta temples of West Bengal|terracotta]] motifs of flowers, birds and leaves, which had fallen into disrepair over the preceding two centuries. He decided to showcase them after the renovation as an essential part of the temple's originality and a reflection of its glorious past. Architecture students from [[Temples of Bishnupur|Bishnupur]] were recruited to help with the terracotta work. Since it was difficult to find exact replicas of those terracotta works in the present day, they created some new motifs to replace the irreparably damaged ones.<ref name="toi" />

The temple had 25 different types of tiles, which were brought according to availability, but not properly maintained. They were replaced by similar tiles to create a uniform look by sticker transfer and glazing. The pillars were repainted and the three spires on [[shikhara]] of the temple were covered with 50 kg [[gold]]. The tallest of the three spires was adorned with a golden flag, symbolising the spiritual dominance of the temple. A new wall was constructed to separate the market area from the main temple complex for better crowd management. The ventilation was improved and the removal of water from the ''belpatas'' was also done in details.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bandyopadhyay |first1=Krishnendu |title=Unveiled: Golden dome atop Kalighat Temple |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/unveiled-golden-dome-atop-kalighat-temple/articleshow/108926373.cms |access-date=15 January 2025 |work=[[Times of India]] |date=1 April 2024}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Dakshineswar Kali Temple]]
* [[Basirhat Dakshina Kali Temple]]

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |author1=Rachel Fell McDermott |author2=Jeffrey John Kripal |title=Encountering Kali: In the Margins, at the Center, in the West |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3xj-s2JWKBMC&pg=PP1 |year=2005 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |isbn=978-81-208-2041-8 }}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}

{{Portal bar|Hinduism|India}}
{{Hindu temples in West Bengal}}
{{Tourist attractions in Kolkata}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1809 establishments in India]]
[[Category:Hindu temples in Kolkata]]
[[Category:Shakta pithas]]
[[Category:Hindu temples practicing animal sacrifice]]

Kalighat Temple - Revision history

GarlandGurule05 at 06:31, 19 February 2026