Kolkata Sightseeing - Kalighat

If you are visiting Kolkata, you should make a trip to Kalighat to get the real feel of the city. The 200-year-old Kalighat temple is a famous pilgrim centre of Kolkata and lies on the banks of the river Hooghly (Bhagirathi). It is situated about 6 km to the south of the city center.

Kalighat is regarded as one of the 52 Shakti Peethams of India. This is one of the places where a body part of Sati is said to have fallen, in the course of Shiva's Rudra Tandava, the dance of cosmic destruction. The temple was erected to commemorate the Goddess. Goddess Kalika is the presiding deity and she is worshipped as the destroyer and the liberator.

The Nat Mandir is a huge hall in the temple and leads to the sanctum sanctorum. You will find a Shiva temple to the northeast of the sanctum. Another shrine is dedicated to Radha Krishna. The main attraction of this temple is the fierce idol of Goddess Kali with a long protruding tongue made out of gold.

The Goddess is deeply revered in the state and festivals like Kali Puja, Durga Puja among others are celebrated with great pomp and ceremony. Every year hundreds of pilgrims visit this holy temple from across the country.

On festival days, the atmosphere here is vibrant and families in brightly colored dresses converge here to celebrate with their family and friends. Vendors do good business and you will find numerous stalls selling a variety of items from religious items and trinkets to fast food delicacies of the region.