01Rani Rashmoni’s temple
Rani Rashmoni, the widow of a Kolkata landholder, was preparing a pilgrimage to Kashi when, the temple’s tradition says, the Devi told her in a dream to build a temple on the Ganga instead. She bought land at Dakshineswar in 1847 and the temple was consecrated on the Snana Yatra day, 31 May 1855. The main temple has nine spires on a high plinth; inside, Bhavatarini stands on the chest of Shiva on a silver thousand-petalled lotus. Along the river front stand twelve aat-chala Shiva temples, and to the north a temple of Radha-Krishna.
02Sri Ramakrishna
The first priest was Ramkumar Chattopadhyay; his younger brother Gadadhar, whom the world would know as Sri Ramakrishna, took over after his death in 1856. In the Panchavati, the grove of five sacred trees he planted, he practised one sadhana after another. His wife Sarada Devi lived in the small nahabat music tower. Narendranath Datta first came to him here in 1881. His room, with his bed and pictures, is kept as it was.
The life of this place
- 1847Rani Rashmoni acquires the land at Dakshineswar.
- 31 May 1855The temple is consecrated on Snana Yatra day.
- 1856Sri Ramakrishna becomes the priest.
- 1881Narendranath Datta meets Sri Ramakrishna here.
Dakshineswar Metro and railway station are next to the temple; a ferry crosses the Hooghly to Belur Math. Phones and cameras are not allowed inside.
