The Festivals of Kali at Dakshineswar

 Among the festivals connected with Kali, the night of the new moon in the month of Kartik holds a special place. Kali Puja is celebrated on this dark night, and Harding describes the festival at Dakshineswar as a tradition that had changed little over more than a hundred years. She gives a detailed account of the Kali Puja celebrated there on Saturday, October 18, 1884, drawing on the record of M., the chronicler of Sri Ramakrishna’s life. 

The festival begins to transform the temple grounds before the main worship takes place. Lamps are lit throughout the garden, the temples are brightly illuminated, and music can be heard from the nahabat. Temple officials move about preparing for the celebration, while people from the surrounding villages arrive in large numbers. Some devotees come early in the evening because they wish to spend the sacred hours of the new-moon night with Sri Ramakrishna.

Sri Ramakrishna takes part in the evening through songs devoted to the Divine Mother. A recital of the Chandi is held in the afternoon, and he listens to it with the devotees. As the time of worship approaches, he enters a state of ecstasy. Later, when Ramlal comes to his room, Sri Ramakrishna asks him to sing something about the Divine Mother, reminding him that this is the day of Her worship. 

The devotees continue with music and singing as the night advances. Some go to the temple to worship the image of the Divine Mother, while others sit quietly on the steps leading down to the Ganges and perform japa. Around eleven o’clock, Harding describes the time as especially auspicious for contemplation of the Divine Mother. The tide is rising in the Ganges, and lights along the river are reflected in its dark waters. 

Inside the temple, Kali is richly decorated for the occasion. The shrine is brilliantly illuminated, offerings are arranged before the image, and red hibiscus flowers and bel leaves adorn Her feet. She wears garlands around Her neck. A devotee named M. is allowed to enter the temple and, remembering that Sri Ramakrishna often fanned the Divine Mother with a chamara, asks permission to do the same. The priest agrees, and M. joyfully fans the image. 

The preparations for Kali Puja also include the renewal of the image itself. A few days before the festival, the priests apply a new coat of paint to Kali and clean Her jewellery until it shines. She is dressed in a new silk sari from Varanasi, and Harding describes Her face appearing among the rich red silk. 

The worship begins at midnight. Sri Ramakrishna goes to the temple to watch the ceremony and stands near the image. The sacrifice of a sheep is part of the ritual, but when the animal is brought toward the place of sacrifice, Sri Ramakrishna returns to his room because he cannot bear to watch the scene. 

The festival does not end immediately after the midnight worship. Several devotees remain at the temple until two o’clock in the morning, after which prasad is taken to Sri Ramakrishna’s room. The devotees then sleep wherever they can for the remainder of the night. 

Kali Puja is not the only festival connected with Kali at Dakshineswar. During Jaistha, the second month of the Bengali calendar, Phalaharini Kali Puja is celebrated on the night of the new moon. The priests begin the worship after nine in the evening, and the ceremony continues until one or two in the morning. A goat is sacrificed, together with vegetables, including a long piece of sugar cane and a chalkumra, a type of pumpkin.

Another important occasion is Snana-yatra, celebrated in Jaistha. At Dakshineswar it is especially significant because it falls on the day on which the temple was consecrated, May 31, 1855. The celebration takes place in the morning, and during the morning worship two goats, one chalkumra, and one sugar cane are offered to Ma Kali. 

Harding also notes that the month of Falgun has no special festival devoted specifically to Ma Kali. It is nevertheless an important month at Dakshineswar because Sri Ramakrishna was born during this month. Devotees therefore come from far away to attend a special service in his room near the Ganges.

The festivals described by Harding bring together the different elements of worship at Dakshineswar: the image of Kali, offerings, music, lamps, incense, prayer, japa, the Ganges, and the presence of devotees throughout the night. Among them, Kali Puja is presented as the great night of the devotees of Kali, when the temple remains active deep into the night and the worship of the Divine Mother becomes the central event of the celebration. 

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.