BALARAM GHOSH STREET KALIBARI
On 2/2A, Balaram Ghosh Street is a Navratna Temple in front of Saraswati Balika Vidyalaya near
Shyampukur
Police Station. The Balaram Ghosh Street Kalibari is located. The Courtyard of Bhavatarini is very deserted
and serene; the shade of a tree is spread throughout the courtyard. Goddess Bhavatharini resides in
the
sanctum-sanctorum of the temple under the cover of the trees. On the right side near the gate is
Natya
Mandir. At the time of worship the Naat Hallan is filled with
devotees. Above the
Bhavatarini Mandir on the
left is the White Colour
Navratna Chura is raised
towards the sky.
There are also two Shiva
temples on the other side
of the temple. The statue of
Kali Bhavatarini made of
wood stone is installed on
the idol of God Shiva made of White stone. Bhavatarini Devi's face is red due to which her tongue has come
out of the mouth. There is a veil on the head of the Goddess so some devotees also call Ghunghat Kali. The
terms are also worship. Where Shiva is lying at Trident is buried on the right side. Radha Krishna,
Nanda
Dulal and Shri Sridhar Shaligram Shila also inside the temple.
This temple was inaugurated on 5th
Baisakh 1295. The idol of the Goddess was established on the occasion of Bengali New Year. Tulsiram
saw a
dream of an idol of goddess Bhavatarini. He made a picture of the same form according to which the idol of
the Goddess was prepared. Balram Ghosh is the younger uncle of Tulsiram Ghosh after whom the road has been
named. Tulsiram had two sons Shiva Prasad and Bhawani Prasad. Hari Prasad son of Bhawani Prasad was ordered
in a dream to set up the
Bhavatarini Mandir.
HariPrasad started the
work of building the temple
but could not complete it.
The construction of the
Shiva Temple along with
Bhavatarini was completed
by Hareshwar and Hari
Prasanna in 1294 Bengali
year.
The railing of the temple has also been folded neatly. Such artwork is also amazing. On Amavasya, Saturdays
and Tuesdays there are more devotees. Shiva temple has celebrations on Shivratri, Chaitra
Sankranti and Shiv
Bhajans chanting. The Bhavatarini Mandir is open from 6 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30
p.m.
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BARANAGAR BAZAR SIDDHESWARI KALIBARI
There are many Kali temples in Cossipore -Baranagar area of which the Kali temple in Baranagar
Bazaar is
more than two hundred years old. Founded in 1781, this temple is located at the crossing of Gopal Lal Thakur
Road and Kashinath Datta Road. The presiding deity is Maa Siddheswari.
It is said that Nanu Thakur, who happened to be one of the forefathers of the present sevayats of the
temple, used to worship the goddess from a very tender age. He used
to worship the goddess
religiously after having
his bath at the Ganges on
a daily basis. The present
sevayats of this
temple are the
Chakraborty family. It has
been heard that the
great great grandfather of
the present sevayats,
Sanayasi Charan Chakraborty was a priest of this temple and, that too, two centuries back.
The principal festival is Kali puja. The temple is crowded with many devotees, some of whom come from
far
off places. When I visited this temple in this year’s Kali puja, I found a lot of people both inside and
outside the temple. Many have come to offer puja to the goddess.
It is during this time that the temple is decorated. Maa Siddheswari, about six feet in height, made of clay
of the Ganges (Ganga mati) is there inside the temple along with other gods and goddesses. The puja
is
performed according to tantric rituals.
Previously this temple was inside a hut, the roof of which is made of hogla leaves. It was heard that
Totapuri,Ramkrishna Paramahansa, Rani Rashmoni, Balananda Brahmachari, Swami
Vivekananda and Swami
Abhedananda visited this
temple. Daily worship is
performed and on each
Amavasya (new moon)
special puja is held. Both
veg and non veg bhog is
offered to Maa
Siddheswari.
There is a food shop
selling kachuris (one type
of snacks) situated at the north of this kalibari known as Fagu’s Dokan (Fagu’s
Shop).Ramkrishnadev was
fond of eating kachuris from this shop. The shop is still there but in a different name. Apart from singhara
and kachuri, alur chop (chop made of potato) is sold here.
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DAKAT KALIBARI
Dakat Kali Bari (Dacoits’ Kali Temple) of Purna Das Road, Kolkata had a very old history. The
present
temple that we see was formally built in 1891. But the deity of Goddess Kali made of kasti pathar (touch
stone) was much older than the temple. It was said that this Kali was worshipped by Manohar Bagdi or as he
was popularly known as Manohar Dakat (dacoit). The present temple was built by Kamakha Charan Mukhopadhyay,
a sadhu, in the last decade
of the nineteenth century.
According to Sri Kallol
Bhattacharjee, the present
sevayat of the temple,
Kamakha Charan had a
dream in which Goddess
Kali told him that she is not
getting worship and,
accordingly Kamakha
Charan built the temple.
There was a Shiva Lingam.
The area where the temple
stands today is a posh
area of South Kolkata; but
the picture was completely
different during the days of
Manohar Bagdi. It was the
middle of the eighteenth
century just after the battle
of Plassey when one side there was lawlessness and fear of dacoits and on the other there was fear
from the
wild animals and snake. During that time this area was a dense forest and not only that there
were swamps,
narrow canals. This area was basically a forest of hogla trees. No one as such lived here. But there lived a
dacoit named Manohar.
During those days people and pilgrims used to come to Kalighat to offer puja to Goddess Kali
and mostly they
prefer Adi Ganga, because the available routes were mostly through the forests and there may be
chance they
may fall prey to the dacoits. Manohar used to live in a small mud hut with thatched roof along with his old
aunty. He was unmarried. There was a very old Kali Temple close to his hut. Sacrifice was
performed. Manohar was a
follower of Goddess Kali
and before undertaking a
burglary plan Manohar
along with his team
worshipped the goddess;
probably they had a notion
that they would attain
power after performing the
worship. Human sacrifice
was performed; though
later there was animal
sacrifice; but now it is
completely stopped. There
was a well, though now in a
disused condition, was
once used by the dacoits for
bathing. Worship is
performed here on a daily
basis but special puja is
held every month on the day of Amavasya. After the death of Manohar, his adopted son Haradhan
worshipped the
goddess and later Kali was worshipped by Kamakha Charan Mukhopadhyay. This Kali Bari was Dakat Kali Bari and
the dakat is none other than Manohar.
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DAKSHINESHWAR MANDIR
Dakshineswar Kali Temple is a Hindu navaratna temple located at Dakshineswar. Situated on the
eastern bank
of the Hooghly River, the presiding deity of the temple is Bhavatarini, an aspect of Kali, who
is form of
Adi Shakti Mahalakshmi. The temple was built in 1855 by Rani Rashmoni, a philanthropist and a devotee
of
Kali. The temple is famous for its association with Ramakrishna, a mystic of 19th Century Bengal. The
temple
compound, apart from
the nine-spired main
temple, contains a
large courtyard
surrounding the temple,
with rooms along the
boundary walls. There are
twelve shrines dedicated
to Shiva Kali's
companion—along the
riverfront, a temple to
Radha-Krishna, a bathing
ghat on the river, a shrine
dedicated to Rani Rashmoni.
'Nahabat', the
chamber in the north
western corner just beyond
the last of the Shiva
temples, is where
Ramakrishna and Maa Sarada spent a considerable part of their lives. According to traditional
accounts in
the year 1847, Rashmoni prepared to go upon a long pilgrimage to the sacred Hindu city of Kashi to
express
her devotions to the Divine Mother. The night before the pilgrimage began, Rashmoni had a vision of
the
Divine Mother in the form of the goddess Kali in a dream.
Profounded by the dream, Rani purchased a land near Ganges from an Englishman and started the construction
of the temple. On 31 May, 1855, the idol of Goddess Kali was installed on Snana Yatra day, with Ramkumar
Chhattopadhyay as the head priest. After the death of Ramkumar, Gadadhar was replaced by him, who
came to be
known as Ramkrishna Paramhansa who lived with his wife Sarada Devi in south of temple premise. Ramakrishna
was responsible for
bringing much in the way of
both fame and pilgrims to
the temple. Built in
the navaratna or nine
spires style of Bengal
architecture, the three-
storeyed south-facing
temple has nine spires
distributed in upper two
storeys, and stands on a
high platform with a flight
of stairs. The garbha
griha (sanctum
sanctorum) houses an idol
of goddess Kali, known
as Bhavatarini, standing
on the chest of a
supine Shiva, and the two
idols are placed on a thousand-petaled lotus throne made of silver. Close to the main temple is the
row of
twelve identical Shiva temples built facing the east in the typical aat-chala Bengal architecture,
they are
built on either side of the ghat on the Hooghly River. To the North east of the Temple Complex
is the Vishnu
Temple or the Radha Kanta.
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LAKE KALIBARI
Lake Kalibari – One of the most famous religious seats of Bengal, where the remembrance of God was
kindled
by Sree Sree Haripada Chakroborty, a revered Gurudev, was established more than
60 years ago. For his spiritual sadhana and ardent love for the almighty
mother – ‘Maa Kali’,
suddenly the divine mother
became an effulgence and
a Light of Divinity,
luminous like a thousand
suns, and appeared in his
thatched hut where mother
Sree Sree 108 Karunamoyee
Kalimata has been
consecrated. The mind
of Gurudev blossomed and
bathed in such hued light of
Divinity and, at the directive
of the divine mother, Gurudev
constructed a seat of
five skulls (Panchamundi’s
Ashan) for the performance of
‘Tantra Kriya’ to ensure the proper solace of mankind and, thus, dedicated his life to a vast
Karmayagya.
Lake Kalibari was established by Sree Sree Haripada Chakroborty on 13th April, 1949 and during his lifetime
he maintained the same temple and performed the Tantra Kriya
for the solace of hundreds of thousands of people who approached him during their hour of need.
In 1987, out of his innumerable disciples, Gurudev ultimately picked Sri Nitai Chandra Basu as his competent
torchbearer and trained him
for the advancement of his
Karmayagya. Thus
yesterday’s Karmayagya has
been transformed into a
present day Dharmayagya: A
vast project for the
construction of a ‘Temple
Complex’.
The temple is very serene and
divine for the followers of
Maa Kali. The solace they find
here is inexpressible they
describe when they visit. The
temple is a must visit to
Kolkata. They are planning a
beautiful renovation of the temple with best architects of India in accordance to KMC compliance.
Address - 1, Southern Avenue,
Kolkata – 700029.
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SARVAMANGALA MANDIR
Sarvmangala Temple is a Shakti Peeth in Cossipore Area of Kolkata. The temple is just opposite
the Cossipore
Post Office and before the Gun and Shell Factory. Goddess Sarvmangala is considered to be an
incarnation of
Goddess Durga, and is the presiding deity of the temple.
It is believed that body part of Devi Sati also fell in this region that’s the
reason it is regarded as a
Shaktipeeth. The temple
compound has two idols of
main forms of Maa –
Joychandi Durga Devi and
Sarvmangala Kali.
According to a folklore, after
receiving the dream order of
mother Durga, the robber chief
made the idol of mother Chandi
from the neem wood floating
in the water of Ganges.
Then Calcutta was not in
today's Calcutta! In Kashipur,
on the deserted bank of the
Ganges. Chitteshwari temple
was established in 1810. Even
though it has been held since
then, this puja is actual
before the establishment of the city of Calcutta. The face of the goddess is not like rudramurti,
though the
green demon is trampled at the feet. According to historians, his wooden statue is one of the most
significant antiquities in Bengal. Today's temple of Chitteshwari was built by zamindar
Manohar Ghosh.
Presumably, before the temple was built, the goddess resided in a tree or leaf hut.
The white lion is the vehicle of Sarvmangala Devi made of neem wood. The color of the goddess is
stained
with blood. Not exactly red. Like a red-brown mixture. Sword in one hand on the left, Kamandal in the other
hand, Abhay Dan in the right hand. Rudrani form in the two eyes of the goddess. The third eye is on
the
forehead. Mahisasur's head is under the
feet of a lion. Goddess
Sarvmangala cannot be
photographed. There are
prohibitions.
To the left after the entrance
are the temples of Rama,
Lakshmana, Sita, Hanumanji.
To the right of Goddess
Sarvmangala, to the left of the
devotee are three consecutive
Shiva temples. There are
Shivlings in two temples. Lord
Ganesh in another. Devotional
songs are being performed in
the theatre. There are many
devotees who are sitting here
and chanting the name of their
mother in devotion.
The face of Goddess Chitteshwari Durga can be seen in the south but the direction of Sarvmangala is towards
the Ganges in the west. There is still the practice of animal sacrifice. The temple is quite divine, clean
and colorful. There is not the slightest hint of dirt.
People’s believed that the Sarvmangala fulfill desire of a sincere heart.
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FIRINGI KALIBARI
Firingi Kali Bari of Bowbazar, North Kolkata is one such old and ‘Jagroto’ Kali Temple. The exact
recorded
history of the temple is debated, like many other old temples. A plaque on the temple dates the
temple back
to 905 Bengali Year or
approximately 1498 AD, much before the Europeans arrived. The temple was established by one Srimanta
Dom.
Since ‘Dom’ was considered to be a very low caste
mainly associated with
cremation of bodies, his
temple did not have any
priest, and he used to
perform the duties of priest
himself. Also the association
of the temple and Anthony
Firingi, a Portuguese who
converted to Hinduism and
was a great and devotee of
Kali, is well known. It is
said that he helped in
construction of the temple
building. No Bengali was
ever born and raised without
watching the film Antony
Firingee and crying
profusely as Uttam Kumar breathed his last as the passionate Kobiyal. However, even if
we keep our iconic film actor aside, Antony Firingee was a real person. He was a Portuguese who fell in love
with contemporary Hindu culture, married a Bengali widow and built a Kali Mata temple which
stands till date
in the Bowbazar area.
The Firingee Kalibari Kolkata is situated at
BB Ganguly street at Bowbazar where the Bandopadhyay family gets the chores done. Besides Maa Kali,
you can
also see idols of Shitala Devi, Mansa Devi, Shiva and Narayan idols. Every full moon night,
Satyanarayan
Puja takes place here. It was pathbreaking for a European to offer worship and practice
Hindu rituals.
People, irrespective of religion come here
seeking blessings and respite from
epidemic even today. The
temple itself is a modest
structure right over the
main road, across the
pavement. The outside
walls of the building has
been done in white marble
and the name of the temple
has been carved in metal.
The sanctum sanctorum of
the temple is pretty small.
Actually, it is so small that
the crown of the Goddess
almost touches the roof and
the beam. There is very
little place to stand and
worship inside the temple.
Most people pay respect and worship from the outside. The temple is open for all the 7 days of week. Timings
are 6 AM to 8 PM. Every mode of public transport is accessible to visit the mandir.
Address - 244, BB Ganguly Street, Bowbazar, Kolkata – 700012.
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