Kalighat Shakti Peeth

Kalighat Shakti Peeth is among the 51 Shakti Peeth of Maa Sati. It is said that, the right leg fingers of maa Sati fell here, when lord Vishnu in order to relieve lord Shiva from grief of losing his wife Sati, used his ‘Sudarshan Chakra’ to incise maa Sati Body. Then, at the place of fall of right leg fingers, this temple was constructed. Kalighat Shakti Peeth is situated in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Here the idol of maa Sati is called as ‘Kali Maa’ and the lord Shiva is worshipped as ‘Nakuleesh’.

The art and architecture of the temple is quite simple and made of limestone. Maa Kali is the evil killing goddess of Hindu Culture and Maa Kali is worshipped in huge number in this part of the country. Kolkata is the capital of West Bengal and it offers a large of number of tourist places to see. In British era Kolkata was the capital of India but after independence capital was shifted to New Delhi. In terms of food, this is much ahead than any other city and there are around 100 of different varieties of cuisines and sweets.

History of Kalighat Peeth

Sabarna Roy Choudhury family of Barisha in 1809, constructed this temple. It is said that Padmabati Devi the mother of Laksmikanta Roy Choudhury, found the fingers of Maa sati Kalikunda. Two famous saints Brahmananda Giri and Atmaram Giri made the idol of Maa Kali. History to this place dates back in the time when it is said that the right leg fingers of Maa Sati fell to this place. Best information about the origin and the formation of this temple, people can be taken from with local people. Religious books, Purans etc are worth trying to find out the history about the Shakti Peeth.

Festivals in Kalighat temple

1. Makar Sankranti, Sharad Purnima, Deepawali, Somvati Amavasya, Ram Navami are some of the other important festivals being celebrated here.
2. Durga Puja and Kali Puja are quite famous in this part of country. Durga Puja is among the most celebrated festival here and there is a 5 day holiday in this part of country. Although the Durga Puja is celebrated in other states also, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Punjab, Kashmir, Karnataka and Kerala, but Durga Puja is best celebrated in West Bengal. The day of celebration is decided by the Hindu calendar.
3. People (Almost every day) offer their offering to the god in form of fruit, milk, homemade sweets etc.

Where to stay

If you are looking for either cheap or expensive type of accommodation, then both are available here. Here the rent of each room may vary from Rs 600 to Rs 25000. There various international hotel chains here like Radisson etc. Following are some hotels that are famous here Taj Bengal, ITC Hotel Sonar, Hotel Hindusthan International, The Park, The Oberoi Grand, The Peerless Inn, Hyatt Regency, The Vedic Village, The Golden Park, Swissotel Kolkata, Park Inn Hotel . Also there are several non payable guest houses or dharmsalas that are run by the various nonprofit organizations. Beware of the touts who promises to give hi-fi deals with cheap rates.

Shopping around Kalighat temple

1. Religious Paraphernalia can be bought from the shops that are located just outside the temple.
2. Traditional Clothes like white cottons Sari can be bought from here, at local market.
3. Local delicacies like Shondish and White Rasgullas, is really something that needs to be tasted.
4. Rice and Daal is quite famous here and common appetite in the menu of hotels.
5. Bargaining for the items is really necessary here as shopkeepers tend to ask higher price for the good that you want to purchase. A little knowledge about the prices of the basic things in this country will help travelers a lot.

Other places that can be visited nearby

Following are some of the places that you might want to visit:

1. Maidan, Eden Gardens, Nandan, Town Hall, College Street, BBD Bagh, Botanical Garden, Howrah Bridge, Kolkata Metro, Science City, Howrah Station some of the star attraction nearby this temple.
2. You can also go for National Library, Victoria Memorial, Belur Math, Asiatic Society, Fort William, Rabindra Sadan, Jorasanko, Coffee House, Swabhumi, Indian Museum and they are located near to the Shakti Peeth.

How to reach the Kalighat temple

1. Direct trains are available to Kolkata Railway station and various trains ply directly from Delhi, Patna, Ahmedabad, Mumbai to here.
2. Several deluxe bus services are available to Kolkata and they are worth trying, if you are not getting reservation in the train.
3. Nearest airport is in the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International airport in Kolkata, and national flights as well as international Flights are available from here. But it is advisable to have taxi or your own mode of transportation when you are coming to Kolkata from airport.
4. Rickshaw, Auto Rickshaw and Bus are common mode of transportation inside the city.
5. Take necessary steps to protect yourself from sunburn etc, because in the summer season, temperature shoots up to 40+ degrees in this part of the country.