| Dakshineswar Kali Temple | |
|---|---|
 View of the temple complex. | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Hinduism |
| District | North 24 Parganas |
| Deity | Sri Jagadishvari BhavatariniKalimata Thakurani |
| Festivals | Kali Puja,Durga Puja,Snana Yatra,Kalpataru Day |
| Location | |
| Location | Greater Kolkata |
| State | West Bengal |
| Country |  India |
  Location in Kolkata | |
| Coordinates | 22°39′18″N88°21′28″E / 22.65500°N 88.35778°E /22.65500; 88.35778 |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Bengal architecture |
| Style | Navaratna |
| Founder | Rani Rashmoni |
| Completed | 31 May 1855; 170 years ago (1855-05-31) |
| Temples | 1 main temple ofKali 12Shiva temples 1 temple ofRadha–Krishna 1 temple forSankirtana |
| Website | |
| Official website | |
Dakshineswar Kali Temple orDakshineswar Kalibari is a Hindunavaratna style temple inDakshineswar, Kolkata, West Bengal, India, on the eastern bank of theHooghly River. The presiding deity of the temple isBhavatarini (Kali), a form ofMahadevi or Parashakti Adya Kali, otherwise known as Adishakti Kalika.[1] The temple was built in 1855 byRani Rashmoni, azamindar (feudal lord), and a devotee of Kali. The temple is associated withavatar SriRamakrishna andSarada Devi, his wife and devotee mystic, both of 19th century Bengal.[2][3]
The main temple was inspired by Radhakanta temple inTollygunge, built by Babu Ramnath Mondal of theBawali Raj family.[4][5][6][7] The temple compound, apart from the nine-spired main temple, contains a large courtyard surrounding the temple, with rooms along the boundary walls. Along the riverfront, there are twelve shrines dedicated toShiva, Kali's consort, a temple toRadha–Krishna, a bathing ghat at the river, and a shrine dedicated to Rani Rashmoni. The 'Nahabat', or "music tower," northeast and beyond the last of the Shiva temples, is whereMaa Sarada spent a considerable part of her life.[2][8] Sri Ramakrishna's room is in the northwest corner of the courtyard, with a semicircular verandah facing the river.[9]
The Dakshineswar Kali Temple was founded around the middle of the 19th century byMahishya zamindarRani Rashmoni.[10][11][12] She was well known for her philanthropic activities. In the year 1847, Rashmoni prepared to go upon a longpilgrimage to the sacred Hindu city ofKashi (known also as Varanasi or Benares) to express her devotions to theDivine Mother. Rani was to travel in twenty-four boats, carrying relatives, servants, and supplies.[8] According to traditional accounts, the night before the pilgrimage began, Rashmoni had avision of the Divine Mother goddessKali in a dream, who said,[13]
There is no need to go to Banaras. Install my statue in a beautiful temple on the banks of the Ganges river and arrange for my worship there. Then I shall manifest myself in the image and accept worship at that place.
Profoundly affected by the dream, Rani immediately looked for and purchased a 12,000-hectare (30,000-acre) plot in the village of Dakshineswar. The large temple complex was built between 1847 and 1855. The 8.1-hectare (20-acre) plot was bought from an Englishman, Jake Hastie, and was then popularly known asSaheban Bagicha.[14] Built partly on ground shaped like a tortoise and thus considered befitting for the worship of Shakti according to Tantra traditions, it took eight years and nine hundred thousand rupees to complete the construction.
The image of Goddess Kali was installed on theSnana Yatra day on 31 May 1855, amid grand festivities. The temple was known then asSri Sri Jagadishwari Mahakali,[15] with Ramkumar Chhattopadhyay as the head priest. His younger brother Gadadhar (later known asRamakrishna) and his nephew Hriday moved in to assist him.[1][2][3][8][16] On 31 May 1855, more than 1 lakh (one hundred thousand)Brahmins were invited from different parts of the country to grace the auspicious occasion. The next year, 1856, Ramkumar died, and the position of head priest was given toRamakrishna. His wife,Sarada Devi, stayed in the south side of theNahabat (music tower), in a small room on the ground floor which is now a shrine dedicated to her.[17]
Rani Rashmoni lived for only five years and nine months after the inauguration of the temple. She fell seriously ill in 1861. Realizing that her death was near, she decided to hand over the property she had purchased in Dinajpur (now inBangladesh) as a legacy for the maintenance of the temple to the temple trust. She accomplished her task on 18 February 1861 and died on the next day.[2]
Due to his inspirational devotion to the Divine Mother as Goddess Kali, realized God-consciousness and practical teachings for laypersons, Ramakrishna was responsible for bringing much in the way of both fame and pilgrims to the temple.[18] From 1902-1932, lay discipleMahendranath Gupta published theSri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita, known in English as The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. It contains practical teachings given by Sri Ramakrishna over a four year period to his lay devotees and disciples, including moments with Naredranath Dutta, later world-famous asSwami Vivekananda.
Built in thenavaratna or nine spires style ofBengal architecture, the three-storeyed south-facing temple has nine spires distributed in the upper two storeys, and stands on a high platform with a flight of stairs, overall it measures 14 metres (46 ft) square and rises over 30 metres (100 ft) high.[3][8]
Thegarbha griha (orsanctum sanctorum) houses an image of goddess Kali, known asBhavatarini, standing on the chest of a supineShiva, with both figures placed on a thousand-petaledlotus throne made of silver.[3][8]
West of the main temple and between the entrance to theghat on theHooghly river lies the row of twelve identical Shiva temples, built facing the east in the typicalaat-chala Bengal architecture. To the northeast of the temple complex is the Vishnu/Radha Kanta Temple. A flight of steps lead up to a columned verandah and into the temple. There, a silver throne holds the21+1⁄2-inch (550 mm) image of LordKrishna and a 16-inch (410 mm) image ofRadha.[3][8]
.JPG)
_-_1865.jpg)
_of_the_iconic_Dakshineswar_Temple_in_West_Bengal%2c_India.jpg)
Dakshineswar travel guide from Wikivoyage
Geographic data related toDakshineswar Kali Temple atOpenStreetMap| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
