Kripamayee Kali Temple, Baranagar

Kripamayee Kali Temple is also referred to as Joy Mitra Kalibari and is a famous Hindu temple which is situated on the eastern banks of River Hoogly.

The presiding deity of this temple of West Bengal is a form of Kali called “Kripamayee” the one who is merciful. It is another famous Kali temple in West Bengal and it was built in the year 1848 by a famous zamindar Jayaram who was a dedicated devotee of goddess Kali.

It is a colossal nabaratna (nine-spired) temple with twelve shrines dedicated to Shiva, Kali’s consort.

Of the twelve Shiva temples; six are on each side and they had a fresh coat of paint like the main temple. The twelve Shiva temples are dedicated to Pashupatinath; Biswanath; Baidyanath; Chandranath; Amarnath; Bhubaneswar; Adinath; Taraknath; Somnath; Kedarnath; Umananda and Rameswar. All the twelve aatchala Shiv mandirs are on a raised platform and a flight of stairs is there to reach there.

Architecture

Traditional Bengali architecture mostly uses brick and wood, often reflecting the styles of the wood, bamboo and thatch styles of local vernacular architecture for houses. Decorative carved or moulded plaques of terracotta (the same material as the brick) are a special feature. The brick is extremely durable and disused ancient buildings were often used as a convenient source of materials by local people, often being stripped to their foundations over the centuries.

HISTORY

Kripamayee Kali Devi Temple was built in the town of Baranagar by Jay Mitra. This person was a famous landlord during the seventeenth century when places like Baranagar in West Bengal were populated by Dutch traders. Jay Mitra was a devout follower of Goddess Kali and being a devotee he decided to establish this Kripamayee Kali Temple in 1848. The Dakshineshwar Kali Temple, another famous Kali Temple of West Bengal, was built much later than this one, in 1855. So this is even more ancient. Baranagar has a rich heritage that flourished during this time period.

Legend / Local stories

It is said that Swami Vivekananda visited this temple. Even the great Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, the famous devotee of Goddess Kali too visited the temple several times. It is heard that he called the Kripamayee Kali Maa ‘Mashi’. Mashi in Bengali translates to a maternal aunt or more precisely mother’s sister. This is an interesting fact regarding this temple.

Festivals

A large number of people assemble here on the day of Deepavali and fireworks are lit. Instead of anna bhog luchi bhog is offered to the Goddess.

Most of the Kali temples in Bengal celebrate the various Kali Pujas that are celebrated among the Bengalees. Though there is one big yearly Kali puja festival in Bengal, there are several others too. Kali Puja Dipantwika is the main celebration in the honor of Goddess Kali and mostly coincides with Diwali. This is celebrated on Amavasya, or newmoon day in Bengali month known as Kartika. This is usually the month of November. This Kali Puja is celebrated in a grand way in West Bengal and many devotees stay awake all night to worship the goddess at midnight. Two other kinds of Kali puja celebrations are held too in Bengal. One is Phalaharini Kali Puja and other is Ratanti Kali Puja. Ratanti Kali Puja is celebrated on Amavasya in the month of Magha and Phalaharini Kali Puja on Amavasya in the month of Jyestha.

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How to Reach:

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Address

Joy Mitra Kripamoyee Kalibari,
Hindu Temple in Kolkata
Kamar Para Lane, Barada Basak Street, Kolkata,
West Bengal

Contact Details