Kali Temple

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  • Address
    off Ashutosh Mukherjee Rd, South Kolkata
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  • Phone
    2223 1516
  • 05:00 - 15:00 & 17:00 - 22:00

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Lonely Planet review

Between Kalighat and Jatin Das Park Metro stations, Kalighat's Kali Temple is Kolkata's holiest spot. The current structure, painted silver-grey with rainbow highlights, dates from 1809. Of course the site is many, many centuries older and possibly the source of Kolkata's name. Inside, pilgrims jostle to present hibiscus offerings to the three-eyed Kali image whose crown can occasionally be glimpsed through the throng from the bell-pavilion.

Priests loitering around the temple might whisk you to the front of the queue for an obligatory 'donation' (around Rs50 per person). Behind the Mandir, goats are ritually beheaded to honour the ever-demanding goddess.

Legend has it that Shiva became insane with grief after Sati's death, embarking on a rampage that threatened to destroy the world. To restore Shiva's sanity, Vishnu cut the corpse into 51 pieces and scattered them across the subcontinent. Kalighat is one of 51 shakti peeth temples dotted around India, marking the places where various parts of Sati's body fell after her corpse was dismembered. Kalighat is believed to mark the final resting place of the toes from Sati's right foot. The site has been an important pilgrimage destination since at least the 16th century.

Mother Teresa's Nirmal Hriday (home for the dying) is next door to the temple and the surrounding streets are lined with market stalls selling votive brassware, religious artefacts and pictures of Kalighat.