Famous historic temples in the city of Kolkata

Kolkata, the only metropolis that is still deeply rooted in history and traditions, notwithstanding glitzy skyscrapers and multistoried buildings and all signs of a fledging modern city visible more and more. The city is full of vibrant culture, and the open-hearted acceptance of the age-old traditions and cultures is a heartening sight to see. This is amplified by the celebration of Durga Puja, Eid and Christmas. So to discover more about the historical beliefs of this land, I decided to pay a visit to the famous historic temples in the city of Kolkata.

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My blog focuses quite a bit on the ancient history, the art of India, among other places of travel that I keep doing. The history posts come up because there is in ancient Indian History, so many monumental architectures created. Read through the posts on the Mundgod the mini Tibet of India, or the reclusive Karwar town in the Western Ghats or my journey to the 5 prayags or confluences in the Himalaya. I am sure a visit to them would be fascinating to just about anyone purely from a visitor’s inquisitive prism of view, to say the least. In case interested, read about Ganjifa, the slowly dying art of Maharashtra. How about some thoughts on  Manikarnika Ghat, Varanasi.

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Famous historic temples in the city of Kolkata

This will most probably be an ongoing series, so let me begin the series

Kalighat Temple

I would say that Kolkata is synced forever with Kalighat temple. The most well known and revered place in the entire city and among the famous historic temples in Kolkata. This ancient of all Kali temples has a global presence. The present temple has existed since 1809; however, the scriptures talk about the Kalighat temple right back to the 14^th century.

It is one of the 51 shakti peeths dedicated to Goddess Sati in her Maa Kali avatar. The idol of the Goddess is built of striking black stone with three eyes, six arms and the most striking feature being the eyes and the tongue made of gold. She is known to bless the devotees with knowledge.

I visited this temple on three occasions, and each time I came back with a different frame of mind, such as the aura and vibe of the Kalighat temple of Kolkata. I consider myself very fortunate to have the opportunity to visit the temple, for there is something really powerful in terms of the aura and it affects you , there are no two ways to say this.

Dakhineswar Maa Kali

Dakhineswar Maa Kali temple; a journey through one of the most spiritually alive places in the whole of Bengal. How can I talk of the Dakhineswar Kali temple without not becoming aware of Rani Rashmoni and Swami Rama Krishna?

This is again one of the most revered and globally acclaimed places to visit among famous historic temples in the city of Kolkata.

As my eyes fell on the image of this nine spired white Dakhineswar Maa Kali, so pure on the bank of the Ganges with 12 small shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva. I knew that it was indeed a calling that ensured that I made my way to the Great Ma Bhavatarini temple at Dakshineswar. Dakshineswar Maa Kali will always be synonymous with Hoogly flowing nearby.

Lake Kalibari

I had heard of Lake Kalibari from those who have stayed for years in Kolkata. So one fine winter morning, I decided to visit this sacred and pious famous historic temple in Kolkata.

Dedicated to Goddess Kali, the Lake Kalibari temple stood simple yet full of ethereal vibes. The temple built in the year 1949 houses Goddess Karunamoyee, one of the forms of Goddess Kali. The original name of the temple is Sree Sree 108 Karunamoyee Kalimata Mandir though popularly called Lake Kalibari.

Thanthania Kalibari

Asking for directions and using google maps, I finally found myself in front of another famous and revered temple in Kolkata known as Thanthania Kalibari. The Goddess is known as Siddeshwari m another form of Goddess Durga. The temple was founded in 1803, and it is said that the image of the Goddess is changed every year.

Again i would say it was a good fortune that I decided to explore this aspect of Kolkata and in this process I am able to see some really unique gems of this most ancient city on the east coast of India.

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Pin it for a reference at a later point of time

Famous historic temples in the city of Kolkata

The blog post does end here but there is more to come in the succeeding blog posts on the same theme. There are some unique ancient culturally and spiritually powerful temples in the city of Kolkata that needs to be explored and seen. I, for one, am always eager to embark on such an activity, so stay tuned in the coming months for more posts on Famous historic temples in the city of Kolkata.

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