Kali Temples in India have the long drawn flavour of Shakta religiosity. Dakshineshwar Kali Temple is an age-old certifier of Hindu religion and embodiment of Sri Ramakrishna`s enlightenment which is situated at West Bengal. The temple is dedicated to goddess Kali, and this has close associations with Ramakrishna Paramahansa who attained nirvana at this holy temple only. The temple is situated on the sacred banks of the Ganges, which is considered holy. There is a story related with the temple, legend has it that Rani Rashmoni built this temple that was blessed with a divine dream about building a Kali temple. This led her to this place where she built it and the first priest of the temple was Ramakrishna`s elder brother Ramkumar. All through Sri Ramakrishna gave him company, from his childhood, and finally took the charges of the temple. From then his life took a new turn and Ramakrishna was taken over with frenzy as he kept on worshipping Kali. He became a devout worshipper and is very famous for his devotion in every Hindu Bengali household even now. He assumed a godly status, and is worshipped among the Hindus. The temple is saturated with energy and the aura of spirituality can be felt in the air. The temple, besides the main Kali temple, consists of 12 Shiva temples right opposite to the main temple, have a Shiva Lingam. There is also, a gorgeous Laxmi Narayan temple that is a center of attraction. Huge number of devotees crowds these temples, which are worshipped standing in a queue.
Kali Bari Temple, Shimla
Kali Bari Temple is perhaps the only temple which is located at the vicinity of Shimla. This temple is dedicated to Goddess Kali who is known as Shyamala. It is often believed that Shimla received its name from the temple of Shyamala. Kali Bari Temple had been another important place of worship that was constructed during the British period. It was mainly constructed for the devotees who had to travel from Delhi to Simla and settled there for a long period six months or so.
Kali Bari Temple in Shimla is one of the popular sights of Simla that remains overcrowded during the Navratris and Durga puja. Along with the rituals the Kali Bari provides accommodation to its tourists who visit the shrine along with the shrine at Kalka. Among all the deities of Goddess Shakti, Kali has been revered in many forms.
Kamalasagar Kali Temple
Kamalasagar Kali Temple which is also known as Kasba Kali Bari, is a popular shrine of the Bengali population residing in Tripura. Located at a distance of 27 kms from Agartala, the temple is situated at the borders of India and Bangladesh. It is often visited by a number of tourists who not only visit the place to pay homage to Goddess Kali but also to enjoy the awesome scenic beauty of Kamala Sagar. As such it has as been developed as a major tourist spot in the state.
Dedicated to Goddess Kali the temple has the image of Mahishasurmardini which resemblance with Dasabhuja Durga. In spite of its resemblance with Goddess Durga the deity is worshipped as Kali following the Shakt tradition. Due to the presence of a Shivalinga at the feet of the deity, the Kamalasagar Kali Temple is known as `Kalibari`. Kamalasagar. This was commissioned by Maharaja Manikya Bahadur in 15th century which was finally completed in 17th century by the local rulers.
Shyama Kali Temple
Shyama Kali Temple also known as the Tarna temple is dedicated to goddess Syama Kali, an incarnation of goddess Parvati. The walls of the shrine are embellished with paintings of goddess and the inner sanctum of the temple is ornamented with intricate designs in gold.
According to mythology the divine spouse of Lord Shiva once started dancing and in her joy she lost herself and went on with a fierce dance putting the three worlds in danger. All the other gods concerned about the world approached Lord Siva for help. Shiva in order to stop the goddess laid himself on her route of dance. When Kali had put her feet on prostrated Siva she came to herself and stopped. In this manifestation the spouse Kali is painted black on the face and she looks fierce with her garland of skulls and tongue protruding out of remorse for treading on her husband`s body.