Kalighat Kali Temple is one of the best travel destination in Kolkata. The Kalighat Kali Temple is located on the banks of river Hooghly. It is regarded as one of the 52 Shakti Peethams of India. The site has been a Shakti pitham for at least 500 years. The Kalighat Temple is dedicated to the Goddess Kali. The temple complex is packed on all sides like most temples with shops and eager vendors selling all manner of things from devotional items to flip-flops. Inside the temple complex you can find goddess Manasa tree. Women tie rocks with red thread in order to receive blessings. Also you can find Shiva shrine, a Krishna shrine, an area where goats and buffalo are sacrificed to the goddess Kali mata. Sacrificed goats and buffalo meat is cooked and distributed to devotees.
Lets talk about the main event, a stone statue of Kali Mata that resembles an immense, stylized, three-eyed black skull with a long, golden tongue. You may need to wait for hours in long line for darshan. Foreigners and wealthy locals frequently skip the darshan line with the aid of priests by paying them money. You can find them near the taxi stand. Some of them are scam artists who will aggressively ask for large payments while others are actually quite helpful and knowledgable guides. You can manage a good guide at Rs.100-200. If you are a devotee, the goal here is to get a glimpse of the goddess’s eyes, and to receive an orange tilak.priests inside the temple itself, though you’re not likely to get much by way of result.
If you love Kolkata, you’ll love Kalighat. You can also visit to the much cleaner and more sedate Dakshineshwar and Adyapeath temples, which are up the river from Kalighat in Dakshineshwar. Do share your experinece…
If you are visiting the temple then don’t forget to say “Joy Ma Kali”.
JOY MA KALI –its been already two times that iv been to KALI-GHAT this year and i feel so Blesses and so Deprived.
This HOLY TEMPLE is getting looted by the people who are the helpers or the brokers or you can term them the Pundits out there.To get a Dharsan they ask Money,After Getting a Darshan they Ask Money,For nothing but a small question they ask Money but the sad part is that Devotees who come to worship give money as they dont want to stand in the line or for a fast Darshan,and even the police out there dont seem to bothered about whats happening.This Practice seem to be Like a Tradition but such acts in the Name of God That also “KALI MATA” is a evil practice.Its become like a Business Hub for those shameless Pundits out there.
While praying i got a hint of the devastation that might be caused if Kali Mata gets Angry.I think its time we start taking some initiative towards this scenario and do something before Calcutta see another Fire like the recent one opp Park Hotel or something worst.
Much in Hope a Devotte Like you will come tyo the rescue of KALI-GHAT….GOD BLESS YOU. JAI MAA KALI