The Dakhshineswar Kali Temple is a famous shrine located in Dakshineswar, a town comprising the North 24 Parganas district of Kolkata. It was built by Rani Rashmoni in the 19th century on the banks of river Ganga, nestling just next to the Vivekananda Bridge.
Till now, it is regarded as one of the most sacred religious spots in the whole of Kolkata. Coming to the features of this temple, twelve other smaller shrines surround this temple where lord shiva is worshipped in the form of Linga.
Interestingly, it is also one of the places where the holy saint Ramkrishna Paramhansa began preaching his disciples on the importance of religious uniformity. He himself was an ardent devotee of Goddess Kali and subsequently became one of the most prominent representatives of the entire temple.
Wish to know more about the revered Dakshineswar Kali Temple? Then, here is a comprehensive post that you can take a look at.
History of the Dakhshineswar Kali Temple
Kali is considered the most formidable form of Adi Shakti and perhaps the most powerful as well. Where on one hand she is destroying evil with her slayer on the other she is blessing her devotees with wealth, prosperity and abundance.
In this context, it is pertinent to mention the history of the temple. It was in 1846 when Rani Rashmoni, the widow of a preeminent Zamindar Babu Raj Chandra Das, started the construction of the Dakshineswar temple.
It took almost nine years for the temple to be built and the actual worship of Maa Bhavatarini started from 1855. Since then, Sri Ramkrishna Paramhansa Dev has been there as the chief priest as he succeeded his elder brother Ramkumar Chatterjee immediately after the idol of the Goddess started being worshiped there.
Over the course of time, Ramkrishna gleaned many devotees not only from India but abroad as well. It is the fruition of such a massive devotee-base that the Dakshineswar Temple became enormously famous all over the world.
How to Reach Dakshineswar Kali Temple?
Wondering how to reach Dakshineswar Kali Temple in the shortest possible time? Take a peek into these itineraries as you get the idea about how to arrive in Dakshineswar conveniently.
Metro Rail to Dakshineswar
One of the best way to reach Dakshineswar Kali Temple is through metro rail. Nowadays, there is in fact a direct metro route all the way from your pertinent metro station till Dakshineswar. However, you can also get down to the Shyambazar metro station and come out from gate no. 4. Subsequently, you can take an auto-rickshaw or taxi and it won’t consume more than half an hours to reach Dakshineswar temple.
Taxis, Buses and Trains
Reaching Dakshineswar via buses, trains and taxis is also not a hassle since the shrine is well-connected to Kolkata through these means of transport as well.
Ferry
Trying the other way out is also a good idea and you can certainly get a ferry ride to arrive at the Dakshineswar Temple. Take your ride along the Ganga commencing from the Dakshineswar Ferry Ghat after it goes past the Belur Math. Subsequently, you can board on a local train from there and get back all the way to Kolkata.
In fact, the costs of these transportation services are pretty affordable. So, like you can avail any of the commute options as per your convenience and enjoy the most memorable Dakshineswar trip down the road.
Dakshineswar Temple Opening Times
If you haven’t been to the Dakshineswar Temple before, you must be thinking that at what time should you visit the temple, right? To make things easier for you, here is the monthly time table of Dakshineswar Kali temple.
From April to September
- Morning: 6:00 am to 12.30 pm
- Afternoon: 3.30 pm to 9.00 pm
From October to March
- Morning: 6:00 am to 12.30 pm
- Afternoon: 3:00 pm to 8.30 pm
Must-visit Places Near Dakshineswar
These are the places you must visit near Dakshineswar when out for a trip to this temple.
Room of Sri Ramkrishna
Situated towards the north within the main temple building it is where Sri Ramkrishna stayed for fourteen years.
Panchabati
Located near Bakul Tala close to the north, Panchabati is a clump of five trees including Peepal, Banyan, Amlaki, Neem and Wood Apple. It is said that Ramakrishna spent twelve years here under the guidance of a renowned sage ‘’Totapuri’’ and eventually attained his enlightenment. Don’t forget to visit this site while in Dakshineswar.
Nat Mandir
A massive sixteen pillared construction, all kinds of spiritual songs and rites are performed here. In 1864, Mathura Mohan Biswas, the son-in-law of Rani Rashmoni held the Annomeru Utsav here.
Adyapith Temple
Adyapith Temple is again located quite close to the Dakshineswar Temple. It’s a holy shrine where the idol Adya Maa is primarily worshipped. Sree Annada Thakur once had a dream where he was instructed to build this temple dedicated to Goddess Adya. At the end of the Adyapith Temple, there is an idol of Sri Ramkrishna Paramhansa Dev with the word Guru engraved in it. Right before the altar at the middle is another idol of Adya Ma created by Annada Thakur himself that too with eight different metals. Coming to the topmost part of this religious site, there resides a beautiful pair of idols of Radha-Krishna that you can’t stop gazing at. All in all, it’s a beautiful place to visit while out for your Dakshineswar excursion.
Other than these nearby attractions, you may also like to visit Gaji Tala, Chadni or Kuthi Bari to make your Dakshineswar outing even more satisfying.
Note that you can’t bring along cameras as well as mobile phones while being inside the temple premises.
Entry Fee: No entry is needed to visit the Temple
Address: Dakshineswar Kali Temple, Belur Math, Belur, Howrah, West Bengal
Official website: dakshineswarkalitemple.org
Over to you
Dakshineswar is undoubtedly the most revered temple of Kolkata. Visiting this temple and offering your prayers to Maa Bhavatarini means perceiving spirituality at a whole new level. While you are in Kolkata, you may also like to visit Kalighat Kali Temple and experience spirituality of a different level.
Hope you find the guide helpful and would also indulge in a ravishing Dakshineswar trip very soon.