Kalighat Kali Temple, Hindu temple in Kalighat district, Kolkata, India
Kalighat Kali Temple is a Hindu temple in the Kalighat district of Kolkata, built in the early 19th century. The architecture follows the Bengali At-chala style with tiered roofs and three metal domes crowned by a trident and triangular flag.
Sabarna Zamindars, including Shivdas Chowdhury, erected the current temple structure in 1809 on the site of an earlier shrine near Adi Ganga. The location had previously been an important pilgrimage site for devotees of the goddess.
The name Kalighat joins Kali with ghat, the Bengali word for a riverbank, and the grounds are called Kali kshetra. The idol shows Dakshina Kali standing on Shiva's chest, wearing a garland of severed heads, holding an axe, her tongue extended with drops of blood; the tongue is made of gold. Pilgrims bathe in the Kundupukur tank during Snan Yatra.
The main shrine sits within the larger temple grounds, which open daily for prayers and offerings. Visitors should expect crowds, especially on religious holidays and in the early morning.
Hindu tradition holds that the right toe of Goddess Sati fell to earth at this location, making it one of the 51 Shakti Peethas. These sites mark places where body parts of the goddess are believed to have landed.
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