Kalighat Kali Temple - History, Timings & Entry Fee

At a distance of 13 km from Kolkata Railway Station, Kalighat Kali Temple is a Hindu temple located in Kalighat area of Kolkata, West Bengal. Lying on the old course of River Hooghly, it is considered as one of the popular Kali temples in India and among the popular places to visit as part of Kolkata Tour.

Dedicated to Goddess Kali, Kalighat Kali Temple is regarded as one of the 51 Shakti Peethas of the country. According to mythology, this is the place where toe from the right foot of Goddess has fallen when Lord Shiva did Rudra Tandava with Goddess body in his hands after her immolation at the holy pyre of yagna by King Daksha.

Kalighat Temple is believed to have existed from the time of Chandragupta II. The original temple was a small structure constructed by King Manasingha in the early 16th century. The present structure was built in 1809 under the patronage of Sabarna Roy Chowdhry family of Banisha. There is a dispute about the ownership of the temple between Chowdhrys of Banisha and Haldar Family, who claims to be the original owners of the temple property.

Situated on the banks of Adi Ganga, the temple has a sanctum sanctorum along with a huge hall called Nat Mandir. In the north-east of this sanctum, there is a Shiva Temple and a small shrine dedicated to Radha Krishna. The main attraction of this temple lies in the image of Goddess Kali that bears three huge eyes, a long protruded tongue and four hands which all are made of gold. Two of these hands holding a scimitar and a severed head of the asura king 'Shumbha' while the other two hands are in the Abhaya and Varada mudras.

The temple receives a huge number of devotees especially on auspicious occasions like Kali Puja, Poila Boishakh, Durga Puja and the Bengali New Year day.

Timings: 5 AM - 2 PM & 5 PM - 10.30 PM