Dakshineswar Kali Temple

Dakshineswar Kali Temple is a famous Hindu temple which is situated in Dakshineswar near Kolkata. It is located on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River. The presiding deity of the temple is Bhavatarini, who is an aspect of Goddess Kali. She was famed to liberate her devotees from the ocean of existence i.e.

Samsara. The temple was constructed in 1855 by Rani Rashmoni, who was a philanthropist and a austere devotee of Maa Kali. Dakshineswar Kali Temple is well-known for its association with Ramakrishna, a mystic of 19th Century Bengal. The temple premises contain a large courtyard surrounding the temple with rooms along the boundary walls, apart from the nine-spired main temple. Pre-dominantly, there are 12 shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva—Kali companion—along the riverfront, a temple to Radha-Krishna and a bathing Ghat on the river, a shrine dedicated to Rani Rashmoni. Nahavat-Khana, the chamber in the north western corner just beyond the last of the Shiva temples, is where Rama Krishna spent a considerable part of his life.

History

This popular and historic temple Dakshineswar Kali Temple was established around the middle of the 19th century by Rani Rashmoni. She was a Mahishya by caste and was famous for her philanthropic activities. Rashmoni, prepared to go upon a long pilgrimage to the sacred Hindu city of Kashi to express her devotions to the Divine Mother. Rani was to travel in twenty four boats, carrying relatives, servants and supplies in the year 1847. As per the traditional accounts, the night before the pilgrimage began; Rashmoni had a vision of the Divine Mother, in the form of the goddess Kali in a dream and reportedly said, there is no need to go to Banaras. The statue was installed in a beautiful temple on the banks of the Ganges River and the idol has been arranged for the worship, then the manifestation has done in the image and Sarada Devi, who stayed in the south side of the small music room, on the ground floor, which now a stupendous shrine dedicated to her.30 years later from his death in 1886, Ramakrishna was responsible for bringing much in the way of both fame and pilgrims to the temple. She lived only for five years and nine months after the inauguration of the temple. She fell ill in 1861. When she realized that her death was near she decided to handover the property she purchased in Dinajpur (now in Bangladesh) as a legacy for the maintenance of the temple to the temple trust. She accomplished her task on 18 February 1861 and unfortunately died on the next day.