Dakshineshwar Kali Temple and Belur Muth-a winter morning visit 

This was a very short trip to Kolkata. A wedding in the family- and unlike any other bong wedding [especially one in my family] this was to be a quiet affair lasting just a day and a half- as against the normal ritualistic 5 day blast that we are known for J

I had an extra day in hand and thought I’d use this time to visit the Belur Muth- I have been there before, but the last time was years and years ago. Things must have changed, as all of Kolkata has since then. My cousin suggested a trip to Dakshineshwar Kali Bari as well, since it would be on the way. Why would I refuse?

A very early start from home. The roads are clear of traffic [almost] and we are at Dakshineshwar within half an hour. It is a beautiful sight- the temple. Built in the typical ‘Aat-chala’ style of architecture of Bengal- it was founded by Rani Rashmoni in 1855. Legend has it that the Rani had prepared to visit Kashi for a pilgrimage-the night before she was to leave for her pilgrimage she dreamt of the Goddess Kali- and in her dream the Mother Goddess asked her to drop her plans of visiting Kashi and build a temple to Kali on the banks of the Ganges in Kolkata- and arrange to worship the Mother there. The Rani was said to be deeply affected by her dream and immediately set about to buy land on the banks of the river Ganga. She eventually bought the land for the temple in the village of Dakshineshwar near Kolkata and proceeded to build the temple there. The Goddess at the temple here is worshiped as ‘Bhavatarini Ma’ [She who liberates devotees from the oceans of existence] 

Shiv Mandir

The Temple compound has 12 smaller temples dedicated to Shiva [Goddess Kalis consort], there is a small temple dedicated to Radha Krishna [Radha Kanta Mandir], a bathing ghat, a small shrine to Rani  Rashmoni and ‘Nahabat Khana’ the chamber where Ramkrishna Paramhans spent quite a few years.  The grand temple is a beautiful sight, and the early morning chill only added to the pleasure. The Bali Bridge just behind the temple looked ethereal in the foggy morning. Just the right time to be hereJ. We offered prayers to the Goddess, walked around the temple compound for a while and moved on towards Belur Muth. 

Radha Kanta Mandir

Rani Rashmonis shrine

The Belur Muth is the headquarters for the Ramkrishna Muth and Mission, founded by Swamy Vivekananda- the chief disciple of Ramkrishna Paramhans. The Ramkrishna Mission is at the core of the worldwide spiritual movement ‘the Vedanta Movement’.  Narendranath Dutta, who later became Swamy Vivekananda, founded 2 monasteries in 1897- one in Kolkata [Belur] and another in Almora [Mayawati]. Having been a wandering monk [parivrajaka] for a large part of his life, Vivekananda was well travelled and had visited ancient temples of Tamilnadu, Karnataka, palaces of Rajasthan and Gujrat, and seen the Mughal architecture at Fatehpur Sikri, Taj mahal. During his visit to Europe and America during the First Parliament of Religions held in Chicago in 1893, he had seen the European architecture in the medieval, gothic and renaissance styles. His vision for the Muth at Belur was that it should incorporate all those and be a symbol of ‘Symphony in Architecture’. His fellow monk, Swamy Vijnananda, who was a civil engineer before he became a monk, designed the grand structure that we see  at Belur today. The massive campus on the banks of the river Ganga [across the river & diametrically opposite the Belur Muth is the Kali temple of Dakshineshwar] is dedicated to Ramkrishna Paramhans, his wife Sharada Ma, and Swamy Vivekananda. 

Ramkrishna Mandir- pic-wikipedia

The structure is designed to celebrate the diverse religions of India-and is a mix of Buddhist style, Hindu temples, Muslim architecture and the Renaissance style of building.

prayer hall [pic source-internet]

In the prayer hall is a huge statue of Ramkrishna dev and a small shrine in built on the spot where Swamy Vivekananda’s mortal remains were cremated in 1902. Another shrine is built on the spot where Sharada ma was cremated.

In all the grandeur of the buildings within the compound what strikes you most is the absolute QUIET. Visitors fall silent without being told. The Vivekananda University is situated just outside the Muth compound. Within the compound a small museum showcases artefacts and articles of everyday use that belonged to Ramkrishna Paramhans, Ma Sharada devi and Vivekananda and other prominent Muth heads & members. There is also small museum giving a historical insight into the lives of the those that were key in founding the Mission.  No photographs are allowed inside the campus- though I did manage to get a few. 

Ganga Ghat at Belur Muth

Vivekananda's shrine

I have taken a lot of historical information for this blog from Wikipedia. Also the pic of the main structure at the Belur Muth is from Wiki. Giving some pics here, most of these are taken by me on my mobile phone [I seriously need to start travelling with a proper camera again- a phone camera just isn’t good enough]

Ramkrishna Mission school-Belur

Enjoy a trip to Belur and Dakshineshwar through my eyes J As always, comments and critique are welcome.