Kalighat Temple --- History and Facts Associated With It

Kalighat temple is one of the most dignified and recognized temples of Kolkata, (capital city of West Bengal). Situated in South Kolkata, the temple embraces faith and devotion of many Hindu and other pilgrims from all over India and also from across the world. The temple was initially a small hut. A type of a temple constructed by a famous king named Mana Singha. King Mana Singha had modified the small hut into a small temple in the earlier sixteenth century. The present temple which we can visit now in the town of Kolkata was constructed in the year eighteen hundred and nine by a famous zamidar named Sabarna Roy Choudhury. He belonged to a very rich and famous Brahmin family. He was a resident of a place named Barisha in the district of Kolkata, twenty four paraganas. His family and his inheritors still involve themselves in the cultural developments and activities that take place in Bengal. The family has been distributed themselves to settle in other adjacent villages of Kolkata namely Hali Shahar and Baruipur. The temple attracts the worshiper goddess Kali, another avatar of goddess Durga. The goddess Kali, another avatar of goddess Durga is considered as the goddess of Shakti (power).



The temple of Kalighat is one Shakti peethas of India. There are total fifty one Shakti peethas in all over India where one or more than one body parts of sati (wife of lord Shiva) has fallen. The reason that lead to such a destruction and devastating act of sati is that, sati was angry on her father because her father (king daksh) did not invite lord Shiva in the famous dakhya yagya that took place at sati’s patent place. She was very annoyed with this behavior of her father and ran to her to ask that why he did not invite Shiva and in reply to this question of sati, her father started saying such things about lord Shiva which sati could not take and she attempted suicide. By seeing this lord Shiva got very angry and he started to destroy the universe. To stop this tremendous anger (Pralay) of Shiva, lord Vishnu had to apply his wheel called sudarshana chakra. The sudarshana chakra segmented sati’s body into pieces. Then different parts of her body feel at different parts and in Kalighat her toe of right foot is dropped. The place of Kalighat is immensely populated and alive (full of life). The place of Kalighat is over occupied by the foreign cultures and immigrants. The idol of goddess which has been kept there in the temple to worship is adorned with silver and gold jewelries and clothes.