Showing 1-7 of 7 results
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Belur Math religious centre
Amid palms and manicured lawns, the extensive, peaceful Belur Math religious centre is the headquarters of the Ramakrishna Mission. Its centrepiece is the huge 1938 Ramakrishna Mandir ( -12.30 & - ) which manages to look like a cathedral, Indian palace and Istanbul's Aya Sofya all at the same time. That's perfectly in keeping with the message of 19th-century sage Ramakrishna Paramahamsa who preached the unity of all religions.
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Birla Mandir
The Birla Mandir is a large Lakshmi Narayan temple complex in cream-coloured sandstone whose three classically corn-cob shaped towers are more impressive for their size than their carvings. The temple was built between 1970 and 1996 by one of India's wealthiest clans.
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Kali Temple
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.
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Motherhouse
Many visitors pay respects at Mother Teresa's large, sober tomb within the Sisters of Charity's Motherhouse. There's a small museum displaying Teresa's worn sandals and battered enamel dinner-bowl. Upstairs, 'Mother's room' is preserved in all its simplicity with a crown-of-thorns above her modest camp-bed.
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Nirmal Hriday
Next door to the Kali Temple is Mother Teresa's world famous, if surprisingly small, Nirmal Hriday home for the dying, with neo-Mughal minidomes pimpling the roof corners.
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Sheetalnathji Jain Mandir
The most eye catching Jain temple on Badridas Temple St is the 1867 Sheetalnathji Jain Mandir, a dazzling pastiche of colourful mosaics, spires, columns and slivered figurines.
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St Paul's Cathedral
Whitewashed with a central crenellated tower, the 1847 St Paul's Cathedral would look quite at home in Cambridgeshire. Inside, its extraordinarily broad, unbutressed nave twitters with birdsong and retains the original hardwood pews. Don't miss the stained-glass west window by pre-Raphaelite maestro Sir Edward Burne-Jones.
Showing 1-7 of 7 results
