Kolkata, the city of joy, is one of the metropolitan cities of India. Mainly famous for its food and old architectural buildings and monuments, this city also has temples which are religiously famous all throughout India. Not many would know but the temples that form a part of this city are all unique in their own way. The people of this city are mainly devotees of Maa Kali, so you would find the temple of this goddess in almost all the localities. However, there are some temples which have great historical and religious importance and are worth mentioning. They attract people not only from the city of Kolkata but all throughout India. Let’s take a look at the religious side of Kolkata.

The Dakshineshwar Temple

The Dakshineshwar temple is the most famous temple in Kolkata where the goddess Kali is worshipped. But the place is historically important because Ramakrishna Paramhansa used to worship Maa Kali here. Ramakrishna Paramhansa who was an ardent devotee of Maa kali prayed at this very place along with Maa Sharda and Swami Vivekananda.  Ramakrishna Paramhansa also served to remain the local priest for this temple till his death.

The temple is located on the banks of the river Hooghly, and forms the part of the locality by the name of Dakshineshwar in Kolkata. This temple depicts the architecture that dates back to the 18th century. Apart from the main temple of Maa Kali, this place has 12 small temples of Lord Shiva considered to represent 12 jyotirlinga. The devotees also visit the meditation room where Ramakrishna Paramhansa himself used to meditate for days and worshipped the goddess. The place has its own religious and spiritual charm. You can find a huge number of the devotees queued up to have a darshan of Maa Kali every morning and evening. In spite of the fact that a lot number of people visit this temple every day, the temple is tidy, secured and well maintained.  People maintain peace and silence when within the premises and chant their own prayers.

One of the amazing attractions of this place is also that you can hire a ferry (a kind of boat) that takes you to the other bank of the river where Belur Math is located. The experience of the cool breeze and the view from there gives you a real feel of Kolkata.

Belur Math

It is located in the Belur locality of the Howrah district which is located on the other bank of the river Hooghly (just opposite to the Dakshineswar temple). While Kolkata is located on one side of the bank of the river, Howrah is the opposite one. Both of these places are connected by the famous Howrah Bridge. This place is headquarter of Ramakrishna Math and Mission which was founded by Swami Vivekananda.  Swami Vivekananda was an ardent follower of Ramakrishna Paramhansa and hence the trust is by his guru’s name.  This place was constructed as memoir to Vivekananda who spend most of his time here.

Talking of the temple, this temple does not have the idol of any gods or goddesses rather it has a prayer hall where people pray and meditate. The whole environment of this place is calm and peaceful in aura. Since this place is considered a temple for gaining spiritual knowledge, chaos and loud noise is not at all entertained within the premises. The whole premise is very well maintained, airy and rejuvenating. The temple has a silent prayer hall where you can sit, relax and meditate for peace and spirituality. The architecture of the temple is modern based and consists of designs inspired from all the cultures. There are prayers held by the missionaries every morning and evening for around thirty minutes. So, in case if you are looking for a religiously quiet place, Belur Math should be your first choice.

Kali Ghat

This is one of the oldest and most crowded temple of Kolkata mainly because of its historical importance. It is believed that finger of goddess Sati, the first wife of Lord Shiva fell here. So, this temple is considered to have immense energy and power like any other Shakti Peeth. Notwithstanding its auspiciousness, this temple is quite contradicting with the Dakshineshwar temple of Maa Kali. You would find this temple crowded all the time and is a bit dirty and filthy. Leaving the beautiful Idol of goddess Kali, the rest of space of the temple is not at all maintained in good condition. Due to too much crowd, darshan are also not conducted in a very peaceful manner. You would find people all around claiming to allow you to get the darshan quickly by charging some money. But because of much of the importance that this temple holds religiously, devotees keep pouring in. This is also the only temple where the ritual of “Bali (the cutting of the head of animals and offering the flesh as bhog/prasada)” is still followed.

Birla Temple

Birla temple also known as the Laxmi Narayan Temple depicts the modern religious temple of Kolkata. Birla temple is renowned all over India for its extraordinary and lavish architecture, and this temple justifies the convention through its marble surface and authentic designs. The environment is peaceful and full of tranquility. The inscription that was given by Lord Krishna to Arjuna (as given in Bhagwat Geeta) is found all over the walls of the temple. The temple is located at the centre of city near the Gariahat locality. The main temple had the idol of Radha-Krishna. To the left is the idol of goddess Durga and to the right is the idol of the Lord Shiva. The temple remains open early in the morning from 5.30 a.m. to 11.00 a.m. and then again in the evening from 4.00 p.m. to 9.00 p.m.  The view of the temple at night with colorful lightings is magnificent to look at. If you have ever visited Birla temple in some other city, you would definitely fall for this one too.

Parasnath Temple: The Jain Temple

Parasnath was one of the Jain Tirthankaras and was believed to protect the people who believed in him. The Jain Tirthankaras were humans who renounced all worldly things and went to meditate and do penance a top hills and mountains. There were 24 Teerthankaras in all. This temple was actually built by Ray Badridas Bahadur in 1867. The complex has four temples with the main temple devoted to Jain Avatar Sri Sital Nath.

This beautiful temple is located in one of the busiest and crowded locality of Kolkata, Maniktalla. However, the atmosphere inside the temple is quite contrasting to the locality where it is situated. The peaceful and relaxing temple surrounded by a small garden and pond full of fishes is a treat to the eyes. The exquisite temple worships the idol that has its eyes opened and flowers are also offered to the idol (some jain temples have their idol’s eyes closed and flowers are not allowed to be offered as in Digambar Jain temple). There is also an Akhand Jyoti which is believed to be burning since many years. The architecture inside the temple is full of colorful mirror and mosaic with its unique and extraordinary design. For this reason, this temple is also locally known as the Kaanchwala Jain Temple. Such architecture is rarely found .One good thing is that the non-jain devotees are also allowed inside the temple. Although not known to many people, this place is not at all a disappointment to all those who visit this place.

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