| Temples & Legends of Bengal |
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| Temples & Legends Of
India |
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THE KALIGHAT TEMPLE |
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There are a
number of stories as to the first discovery of the image of Kali that now finds installed
in Kalighat temple. One story is that Nearabout the present temple of Kali, a Brahmin used
to do his prayers in the midst of thick forest. One evening while reciting the mantras on
the banks of Bhagirathi River, he found a ray of light
coming from the bed of the river. In the morning lie found that there was a piece of stone
carved like a human toeunder the clear water. The
Brahmin picked it up and worshipped the piece of stone. That night the Brahmin had a dream
that the piece of stone was nothing else than the toe of Sati, which had been cut off by
the Sudarsan Chakra of Vishnu. This refers to the story of the enraged Shiva going round
the world with the dead body of his consort Sati, on his shoulders and lest the Tandav
Nritia of Lord Siva destroys the world, Lord Vishnu started cutting off the limbs of Sati;
wherever the limbs fell became a Pithas- than or a very great place of pilgrimage. A toe
had fallen in the river of Bhagirathi by the side of Kalighat and so Kalighat is a
Pithasthan. |
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