On the bank of the old course of the Hooghly — the Adi Ganga — in the heart of Kolkata, Kalighat is among the most revered of all the Shakti Peethas, and the shrine from which, many hold, the city takes its name. In the tradition of the Peethas recounted in the Devi Bhagavata Purana, the toes of Sati's right foot fell here; the Goddess is worshipped as Kalika, the fierce yet compassionate Mother, with Nakuleshwar as her Bhairava.
The temple's striking image of Kali — with three great eyes, a golden tongue, and gold arms — is among the most recognised forms of the Goddess in Bengal. Long a centre of intense devotion, Kalighat has drawn generations of saints, poets, and singers of Shakta song.
Amid the ceaseless life of the great city, Kalighat remains a place where the Mother is sought in her most immediate and maternal form, thronged daily by devotees who come for her darshan.
