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

1857-1858.