Kalighat Temple

Kalighat, on the Adi Ganga in south Kolkata, is one of the 51 Shakti Pithas — the site where Sati’s right toes fell by the standard lists — and the temple of Kali that named a city (Kalikshetra → Calcutta) and an art style (the Kalighat pat).

Significance

The image is a distinctive Kali — three large eyes, four arms, a long protruding tongue of gold — attended continuously by tantric and devotional lines, immortalized above all in Ramprasad Sen’s songs. Animal sacrifice continues openly here, one of Bengal’s most visited ritual sites.

History

The site is referenced from the 15th–16th centuries (Bipradas Pipilai’s Manasa Mangal); the present temple’s nave and sanctum were rebuilt in 1809 under the Sabarna Roy Choudhury family’s patronage.

Modern status

Daily crowds, largest at Kali Puja (Diwali) and Amavasya; the surrounding market and the kalighat painting tradition (now a museum art) preserve the shrine’s cultural footprint.

Verification notes

• Pitha status is canonical; 1809 rebuilding is documented.
• Audited against Wikipedia (September 2026).