Kalighat

Kalighat stands on the western bank of the Adi Ganga — the original channel of the Hooghly — in the heart of Kolkata. It is one of the most visited Hindu temples in the world, receiving an estimated 20,000 devotees daily. The present temple was built in 1809, though the sacred site is immeasurably older: the Manashamangal Kavya of the 15th century references it as already ancient.

The presiding deity is Dakshina Kali — Kali facing south — worshipped in the form of a large golden-tongued idol with enormous eyes made of gold, notable for its unusual sculptural style. Unlike most Shakti temples, the image here was partly created by the Tantric saint Brahmananda Giri using clay from the riverbed. Animal sacrifice (principally goats) continues as an ancient ritual on the premises. The temple gave the city its name — Kalighat became Calcutta. The surrounding area teems with priests (pandas), flower sellers, and pilgrims. The Bengali Shakta tradition finds one of its most fervent expressions here.

According to the Pithanirnaya tradition, when Vishnu dismembered Sati's body, the toes of her right foot (some texts say the right toe) fell here on the bank of the Adi Ganga. A self-manifested lingam of Shiva (Nakuleshwar) appeared at the same spot — as is customary at Shakti Peethas, Shiva manifests as the Bhairava guardian. The goddess came to be known as Kali — the black one, the timeless one — and Kalighat became the greatest seat of Kali worship in Bengal.