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History and layout of Dakshineswar Kali Temple along the Hooghly River in Kolkata

Temples—By DharmicPulse Desk—
History and layout of Dakshineswar Kali Temple along the Hooghly River in Kolkata

Dakshineswar Kali Temple is a Hindu navaratna style temple located on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River in Dakshineswar, Kolkata, West Bengal.

Rani Rashmoni, a zamindar and devotee of Kali, built the temple in 1855.

The presiding deity of the temple is Bhavatarini, a form of Mahadevi or Parashakti Adya Kali, who is also known as Adishakti Kalika.

The design of the nine-spired main temple was inspired by the Radhakanta temple in Tollygunge, built by Ramnath Mondal of the Bawali Raj family.

The temple compound contains a large courtyard surrounding the temple, rooms along the boundary walls, twelve shrines dedicated to Shiva along the riverfront, a temple to Radha–Krishna, a bathing ghat at the river, and a shrine dedicated to Rani Rashmoni.

The temple is associated with Ramakrishna and Sarada Devi, his wife and devotee mystic, both of 19th-century Bengal.

Ramakrishna's room is in the northwest corner of the courtyard, with a semicircular verandah facing the river.

The Nahabat, or music tower, is northeast and beyond the last of the Shiva temples, where Sarada Devi spent a considerable part of her life.

Visitors can see the preserved 1855 riverside layout along the Hooghly River, including the twelve Shiva shrines, the bathing ghat, and the historic quarters of Ramakrishna and Sarada Devi.

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