Kali maa temple in the calcutta is the Goddess of anti-terrorism .
Where it is ?This is located in South Calcutta, on the banks of Hoogly whose presiding deity is Goddess Kali and was rebuilt in 1809 from which the present name Calcutta comes to the city and since then it has been an important pilgrimage site. The original building was renovated in 1971.
In Detail..
Calcutta has for ages being associated with massive fan following for Goddess Kali. The story-legend has it that while carrying Sati's burnt remains from Daksha's Yagna, Shiva dropped the right toe of Sati here. Sati's father had set up to perform a major yagna and everyone was invited except for his daughter and son-in-law, as he had never liked Shiva. On reaching the Yagna, Sati and Shiva were constantly ignored. Humiliated by this Sati cursed the Yagna and threw herself into the fire. The burnt remains fell down in 51 places while carrying them back to his abode.
Kalighat is the actual temple from which Kalikata takes its name. The pujas and other festivals of light, crackers and colorful processions connected with Navarathri celebrations are hallmarks and highlights of the festivals conducted in honour of Goddess Kali. It is a great attraction for Hindu pilgrimage. This temple of Mother Kali is one of the 52 Shakthi Peetams in India and does known for her aggressive yet love nature. Apart from the divine power of the residing deity, the temple has long been famous for its fine examples of terracotta art, though a lot of it has been ravaged by time. The idol of Goddess Kali is made of black stone and decorated with gold and silver. The one of Lord Shiva is in silver. The goddess is offered a ceremonial bath every year on the snan-yatra day, the rituals being performed by the head priest. Kali represents the destructive side of Siva's consort and demands daily sacrifices; therefore in the morning goats have their throats slit here to satisfy the goddess's bloodlust. During the day many poor people come here for a free feed. Mother Teresa?s Hospital for the Dying Destitute is right next door to the temple and you are welcome to visit. The temple is about 2 km directly south of St Paul's Cathedral and is easily accessible by metro.
You can visit at anytime in the year. Specail days Dusshera starts every year on september last week
How to get there ?Air: India Airlines connect Calcutta with Bombay, Delhi, Madras, Port Blair, Nagpur, Bhubaneswar, Ranchi, Patna, Lucknow, Tezpur, Jorhat, Dibrugarh, Silchar, Imphal, Bagdogra, Agartala, Bangalore, Vishakhapatnam (Vizag), Guwahati, Dimapur, Hyderabad and Car-Nicobar.
Rail: Howrah and Sealdah, two main railway stations are there in Calcutta. Calcutta is connected by rail to most of the important places in India.
Road: Good motorable roads connect Calcutta to all the major cities in India. Some of these are: Puri-560 kms, Bhubaneshwar-498 kms, Shiliguri-000 kms, Darjiling-678 kms, Krishnanagar-000 kms, Baharampur-000 kms, Patna-547 kms, Ranchi-000 kms, Alahabad-000 kms, Kanpur-000 kms, Lucknow-000 kms, Haridwar-1586 kms, Varanasi-681 kms, Bombay-2060 kms, Delhi-1490 kms, Madras-0000 kms, Panaji (Goa)-0000 kms.
Local Transport: Metred Taxis, Cycle & Man-pulling rickshaws, city buses, Trams, Electric Trains & Metro rail services are available.
