Section I
Sri Ramakrishna at Dakshineswar
Chapter One
The Kali Temple and garden
Sri Ramakrishna at Dakshineswar Kali Temple
chandni
(porch) and the twelve Shiva temples brick
courtyard and the Vishnu temple Sri
Sri
Bhavatarini Mother Kali Nata
Mandir (the
concert room) the
store, the pantry, the guest
house and the place of sacrifice the
office
rooms Sri
Ramakrishna’s room Nahabat,
Bakultala and Panchavati Jhautala,
Beltala and
Kuthi ghat
for washing utensils, Gazitala, the
main gate and the back gate Hanspukur,
stable, cow house and flower garden the
verandah of Sri Ramakrishna’s room the
‘Abode of Joy.’
It is Sunday today. The bhaktas are free, so they
are coming in numbers to the Kali Temple in
Dakshineswar to see the Paramahansa Deva (Sri
Ramakrishna). The door is open to all. Thakur
freely talks with all the visitors. Sadhus,
paramahansas, Hindus, Christians, Brahmos,
Shaktas[1], Vaishnavas[2], men and women all
visit him. Blessed you are Rani Rasmani! It
is because of your virtuous merit that such a
beautiful temple has come up. Besides, there is
such a living image! People are able to come
here to meet and worship this great spiritual
personality.
The chandni (porch) and the twelve Shiva temples
The Kali Temple is situated about five miles
north of Calcutta. It is situated right upon the
bank of the Ganga. Landing from the boat and
climbing upon the broad staircase, one enters
the Kali Temple as one faces east. It is at this
very ghat that the Paramahansa Deva takes his
bath. Just after the staircase is the chandni.
Watchmen of the temple live there. Their cots,
mango wood chests and one or two jugs etc. are
lying about in that very chandni. When babus
(gentlemen) of the neighbourhood come here to
take their bath in the Ganga, some of them sit
here and gossip as they take a massage of oil.
The sadhus, fakirs, and Vaishnavas who come
to take prasad[3] from the guest house, some of
them await the bell of bhoga[4] in this very
chandni. At times a Bhairavi (woman
worshipper of the Mother) dressed in ochreclothes
and with a trident in her hand is seen
seated at this very place. She too would go to
the guest house at the right time. The chandni is
exactly in the middle of the twelve Shiva
temples out
of them six temples are exactly to
the north of the chandni, and six exactly to the
south. People passing by in boats and seeing the
twelve temples from a distance exclaim, ‘That is
the temple garden of Rani Rasmani.’
The brick courtyard and the Vishnu temple
There is a cemented brick courtyard to the east
of the chandni and the twelve temples. In the
middle of the courtyard, there are two temples
facing each other. To the north is the temple of
Radhakanta. Exactly to its south is the temple of
Mother Kali. In the Radhakanta Temple, the
idols of Radha and Krishna face west. One
enters the temple through a flight of steps. The
floor of the temple is paved with marble. In
front of the temple, there is a chandelier hanging
in the vestibule. It is not in use now; so it is
protected by red linen covers. A watchman
keeps a vigil. Canvas screens are provided, so
that the deities do not feel inconvenience by the
sun in the western sky during noon. Passages
left open between the rows of the columns of
the vestibules are covered by these screens.
Towards the southeast corner of the vestibule,
there is a pitcher of Ganga water. Near the
threshold of the door of the temple is a vessel
containing charanamrita[5]. Bhaktas come bow
down before the deities and take some drops of
this very charanamrita. Inside the temple are
the images of Radha and Krishna on a raised
seat. Sri Ramakrishna in the beginning was
appointed as the priest of this very temple in
