Kali and the Sacred Atmosphere of Dakshineswar

 The temple at Dakshineswar was not only a place where Kali was worshipped. Harding describes the surrounding grounds as a place where different forms of religious life came together, with the Ganges, gardens, temples and secluded areas forming part of the setting in which devotees, pilgrims and sadhus spent time.

Near the river stood the Nahabat, a two-storey building whose upper part was constructed as a music hall. In the time of Sri Ramakrishna, musicians used the Nahabat to play religious music during special occasions and at arati. The path beside it followed the Ganges and led toward Panchavati and the Pine Grove. 

The surroundings were very different during Sri Ramakrishna’s lifetime. The path toward Panchavati passed through dense jungle where wild animals lived, and comparatively few people used it. The area was then secluded. Harding contrasts this with the situation she encountered later, when visitors crowded the path and the former isolation had disappeared. 

The Ganges was an important part of this landscape. In Sri Ramakrishna’s time, even large boats could reach the main ghat opposite the Kali Temple. Harding notes that the river later became much shallower there because of the accumulation of silt, so that only small boats could pass in front of the temple. 

The grounds also included places where people could remain apart from the main activity of the temple. Harding describes the area around the Ganges and the garden as containing quiet places suitable for meditation. Sadhus were attracted to Dakshineswar because of its atmosphere, the food that was available and the secluded places where they could meditate. Pilgrims travelling toward Gangasagar or Puri also stopped at the temple for darshan and prasad. 

Sri Ramakrishna recalled that different groups of sadhus gathered at Dakshineswar at different times. Sometimes there were sannyasins, at other times paramahamsas. Harding also tells of one sadhu who would come out of his room in the morning and evening, look at the trees, plants, sky and Ganges, and then dance with both hands raised. 

Near the northern part of the grounds was Bakultala, with steep steps leading down to the river. Harding records that Sri Sarada Devi used to bathe there at three o’clock in the morning, while it was still dark. 

Another part of the temple grounds was the Kuthi, a two-storey villa that already stood on the property when Rani Rasmani acquired the land. Rani and her family stayed there when they visited Dakshineswar. The area around the Kuthi and Nahabat was also connected with the life of Sri Ramakrishna and his family. 

For Harding, these places form part of the physical setting of Dakshineswar: the temple of Kali, the river, the ghats, the gardens, the Nahabat, Panchavati and the paths connecting them. They were also the places in which Sri Ramakrishna spent years of worship, meditation and sadhana, while pilgrims, priests, musicians and sadhus moved through the same temple grounds. 

Source & Note

This article is based on Elizabeth U. Harding’s Kali: The Black Goddess of Dakshineswar (Nicolas-Hays, 1993). The material has been edited and adapted for this publication.