Dakshineswar Kali Temple
Kolkata, West Bengal, India
VerifiedDocumented history
- Deities
- Bhavatarini (Kali)
- Traditions
- shakta
- Worship status
- active
- Coordinates
- 22.6547, 88.3576
- Darshan hours
- Varies by temple and season; consult the temple's own trust/devasthanam for the current daily schedule before visiting.
- Best time to visit
- October/November for Kali Puja and Durga Puja season; otherwise year-round.
- How to reach
- On the eastern bank of the Hooghly river in North Kolkata, reachable by suburban train (Dakshineswar station) or road from central Kolkata.
- Festivals
- Kali Puja (October/November), Durga Puja (September/October)
- Associated saints
- Ramakrishna Paramahamsa
Location
Open in Google MapsBuilt by Rani Rashmoni, a wealthy widow of the Mahishya caste who, defying the era’s caste conventions, financed and dedicated one of Bengal’s most important Kali temples; construction ran from 1847 to 1855, with the deity’s image ceremonially installed on Snana Yatra day, 31 May 1855. It is closely associated with the 19th-century mystic Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, whose brother Ramkumar served as the temple’s first head priest before Ramakrishna succeeded him in 1856; Ramakrishna’s own tenure here, and his teachings transmitted through his disciple Swami Vivekananda, carried the temple’s influence worldwide.
Sources
- historical record: 1855 founding by Rani Rashmoni and Ramakrishna Paramahamsa's tenure as priest are well-documented 19th-century history.
- historical record: Cross-checked against Wikipedia's account of Dakshineswar Kali Temple during verification pass: confirms construction ran 1847-1855, with the deity (Bhavatarini) ceremonially installed on Snana Yatra day, 31 May 1855; confirms Ramakrishna's elder brother Ramkumar was the temple's first head priest from 1855, and Ramakrishna succeeded him after Ramkumar's death in 1856, later becoming the temple's most renowned priest.