Kalighat Kali Temple Kolkata | Timings & Best Time to Visit

Kalighat Kali Temple Kolkata has regarded as the holiest pith or Shaktipeeth of the 52 Shakti Peethams of India. Situated on the shores of the old course of River Hooghly, a temple is a must-visit place in Kolkata. The Temple is thronged daily by the hoard of pilgrims from all over West Bengal. The Kalighat Temple morning timings are 05:00 am to 02:00 pm, and the evening timings are 05:00 pm to 10:30 pm.

Originally the Temple was tiny, but which had built by 15th century King named Manasingh. The idol of Kali in the main shrine has three eyes and four hands, all made of gold. Within the Kali temple is a rectangular altar called Sosthi Tala, where three goddesses had worshipped in the form of stone. 

Kalighat Kali Temple Kolkata History:

Kalighat Kali Temple Kolkata

The temple building was constructed in the 19th Century and is 200 years old. However, the Kali temple’s reference has also been found in the 15th Century composition of Mansar Bhasan and Kavi Chandi, published during the 17th Century. Another mention of the Kali temple in Lalmohon Bidyanidhis’s ‘Sambanda Nirnoy”.

It was below the patronage of Sabarna Roy Chowdhury’s family of Barisha that the current structure had completed in around 1809. Whether the Kali temple belonged to antiquity has been answered with great description and factual proof of the presence of coinage associated with the Gupta Empire. 

The most famous archer coins that became famous during the Gupta rule after Kumargupta tourists had found in Kalighat, hence the proof of the Temple being even in the Gupta dynasty.

Kalighat Kali Temple Kolkata Timings:

The Kalighat Temple morning timings are 05:00 am to 02:00 pm, and the evening timings are 05:00 pm to 10:30 pm.

DaysMorning TimingsEvening Timings
Monday5 am to 2 pm05:00 pm to 10:30 pm
Tuesday5 am to 2 pm05:00 pm to 10:30 pm
Wednesday5 am to 2 pm05:00 pm to 10:30 pm
Thursday5 am to 2 pm05:00 pm to 10:30 pm
Friday5 am to 2 pm05:00 pm to 10:30 pm
Saturday5 am to 2 pm05:00 pm to 10:30 pm
Sunday5 am to 2 pm05:00 pm to 10:30 pm

Best time to visit Kalighat Kali Temple Kolkata:

The best month to visit Kalighat Temple in Kolkata is October to February. It is an excellent time to explore the tourist places in Kolkata and collect unique experiences. Tourists can celebrate the Durga Puja festival in Kalighat Temple, Kolkata, with full zeal and purity.

Kalighat Kali Temple Kolkata Entry Fee:

There isn’t any entry fee to enter the Temple.

Kalighat Kali Temple Kolkata Aarti Timings:

Kalighat Temple Aarti Timings are here.

Aarti Aarti Timings
Mongal Aarti 4:00 am
Nitya Pooja 5:30 am to 7 am
Sandhya Aarti6:30 pm to 7 pm

Festivals Celebrated at Kalighat Kali Temple Kolkata:

Bhoot Chaturdashi:

The day before, the Kali Puja has observed in West Bengal as Bhoot Chaturdashi. It had believed that on the eve of this night, the souls of the deceased come down to earth to visit their dear ones.

Kali Puja:

Kali Puja has celebrated to honour Goddess Kali. A grand pooja is conducted at midnight to celebrate the destruction of evil. This festival generally overlaps between October and November.

Inside Kalighat Kali Temple Kolkata:

Shoshti Tala: 

An alter shaped in a rectangular platform that is three feet high, situated beneath a small cactus plant, adorned with three stone structures side-by-side, left to right, regarded as the goddesses ‘Sashthi’, ‘Shitala’ and ‘Mangal Chandi’ and worshipped as a part of Goddess Kali herself. This great altar had erected by Gobinda Das Mandal in 1880, also known as ‘Manosha Tala’. 

Natmandir: 

Another rectangular verandah(portico) called ‘Natmandir’ (one of the buildings of the Temple, especially in the Kalinga architecture) had set up adjacent to the main Temple (particularly to the ‘Garbha Griha’, that is to say, Sanctum sanctorum) is in the southern wing from where the face of the image is visible.

Jor Bangla: 

The platform or the spacious verandah(portico) of the main Temple, right outside the Sanctum Sanctorum and facing the image, is known as ‘Jor Bangla’ (also a bathing ghat of the main Temple). The rituals performed inside the Sanctum Sanctorum are visible from this platform apart from ‘Natmandir’.

Harkath Tala: 

It is the spot adjoining the Natmandir (particularly towards the southern side) utilised for ‘Bali’ (sacrifice). The site contains, in total, two wooden sacrificial alters for animal sacrifices side-by-side. One of the two, the bigger one, is utilised for sacrificing more giant animals like buffaloes, and the other smaller one, is used for sacrificing the smaller animals like goats and sheep, which are slew with a single stroke of a scimitar. These come into being as ‘Hari-Kath’.

Radha-Krishna Temple: 

It had located inside the temple premises, particularly on the main Temple’s west side. Initially, it would erect by a Murshidabad district settlement officer in 1723. The Temple had established by a Zamindar named Uday Narayan Mandol of Bhaowali in the same spot in the year 1843. 

Kundapukur: 

It had believed that the ‘Kundapukur is the sacred tank located southeast of the main Temple, outside the boundary walls. This holy tank stretches with ten cottahas(7,200sq ft), whereas it was bigger in the past and called ‘Kaku-Kunda’. It is regarded identically sacred as the water of the Ganges.

Nakuleshwar Mahadeva Temple: 

This Temple has dedicated to Lord Shiva, the beloved consort of Goddess Kali. It is opposite the main temple lane(Halder Para Lane’), precisely behind the Police Station. In the northeast of the sanctum sanctorum of the main Temple, the Shiva Temple had explicitly located.

Dress Code at Kalighat Kali Temple Kolkata:

  • For women, the preferred dress is a half-saree or saree with a blouse or chudidhar with pyjama and upper cloth.
  • For the men Preferred dress code is a shirt and dhoti.

Tourist places nearby Kalighat Kali Temple Kolkata:

Victoria Memorial:

The Victoria Memorial had situated in the heart of Kolkata, in West Bengal. Victoria Memorial is an iconic structure synonymous with the city of joy. The Sound and Light show in the evening is an added delight and a must-watch. Overall, the place is a must-visit for people to relive the ethos of the Victorian era in the modern-day world.

 St. Paul’s Cathedral Kolkata:

St. Paul’s Cathedral is one of the must-visit places for an Architecture and a History buff for its rich glory of colonial times. The cathedral is an Anglican church, the first of its kind within the British, outside of Great Britain.

Indian Museum Kolkata:

The Indian Museum Kolkata is the largest museum in India and the ninth oldest museum in the world, with its foundation stone laid in 1814. It has exhibited some of the finest collections of artefacts, including armours, fossils, skeletons, antiques, ornaments, Egyptian mummies and contemporary paintings, and pictures from the Mughal era.

Howrah Bridge:

The old Howrah Bridge, a floating pontoon Bridge, was opened in October 1874 and made over to Port Commissioners who managed and maintained it. Designed by the late Sir Bradford Leslie, it had a total length of 1528 feet between centres of abutments and provided a 48 feet roadway and two 7 feet footways. 

Princep Ghat:

Princep Ghat or Prinsep Ghat always has this assuring effect on me. After monuments and graveyards, the third post in our Kolkata series is about this beautiful ghat in Kolkata. Bengalis and Kolkatans are, by nature, romantic. They love to recite Tagore whenever got a chance. According to us, Princep Ghat is one of the most romantic places in Kolkata. 

Digha Beach:

Located 187 kilometres from Kolkata, the city of Joy, in the Eastern Indian state of West Bengal in India, Digha is a small yet famous beach town on the southern border. Digha Beach is flat and one of the world’s broadest sea beaches. It is the best weekend getaway destination for locals, and its proximity to the Odisha border also means people from Odisha living close to the border town can hop in here during the weekend.

Hotels nearby Kalighat Kali Temple Kolkata:

  • Nilimas Inn Guest House
  • Homestay near Kali Temple
  • Taj Bengal, Kolkata
  • Hotel Trimoorti
  • Hotel Aston
  • Hotel Metropole
  • Innra Guest House
  • Hotel Esteem
  • Hotel Sudesh Tower

Kalighat Kali Temple Address & Contact Number:

  • Kalighat Kali Temple, Kalighat Road, Kolkata, West Bengal, 700001, India
  • Contact Number: +91-33-22254723

How to reach Kalighat Kali Temple Kolkata:

By Road:

Kalighat bus stop and walk down the Kali temple road to the Kali Temple.

By Rail:

Howrah Junction is the nearest Railway Station connected to all major cities in India.

By Air:

Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport is closest to the Temple. 

FAQs:

What is the best time to visit Kalighat Kali Temple?

The best time to see the Temple is 5.00 am to 2.00 pm and 5.00 pm to 10.30 pm. To avoid crowds, visit the Temple on Wednesday or Thursday.

How far is Kalighat from Kolkata station?

The distance between Kalighat and Kolkata (Station) is 10 km. The road distance is 12.5 km.

When was Kalighat Kali Temple built?

Kalighat temple has references in 15th-century texts. The original Temple was a small hut. The present Temple had built by the Sabarna Roy Choudhury family of Barisha in 1809.

Why is Kali Temple famous?

Kalighat Kali Temple is the most prominent Temple in Kolkata. It is the abode of Hindu Goddess Kali and is situated on the bank of the Adi Ganga (Mayer Ghat), resulting in the name being coined (Ghat means riverbank in Bengali). River Hooghly was off its current course throughout its history.

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