हिंदीOn this day
Standing

Shri Kali Devi Mandir, Patiala

The Kali temple on the Mall at Patiala, built by Maharaja Bhupinder Singh, who had a six-foot murti of Kali brought from Bengal. It is the most visited Devi temple of the Malwa plains.

Built: 1936, Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of PatialaWhere: Punjab (Patiala)Deity: Maa Kali, with the older shrine of Raj Rajeshwari30.34° N, 76.39° E
  1. 1936
Photo: Gurdeepdali · CC BY-SA 4.0

01A Maharaja’s temple

Bhupinder Singh, ruler of Patiala from 1900 to 1938, built the temple in 1936 inside a large walled compound on what is now the Mall. The black murti of Kali, about six feet tall, was brought from Bengal, where the worship of Kali is strongest. In the middle of the compound stands an older temple of Raj Rajeshwari, the Devi of the Patiala house, which is older than the Kali shrine.

02Navratri in Patiala

In both Navratris the queues stretch out onto the Mall, and pilgrims come from Punjab, Haryana and Himachal. Offerings of red chunnis, coconuts and sweets are made at the gate. The compound is a short walk from the Baradari gardens and the Qila Mubarak, the old fort-palace of Patiala.

The life of this place

  1. 1936Maharaja Bhupinder Singh builds the Kali temple and installs the murti brought from Bengal.
Visiting

On the Mall Road, Patiala, about 2 km from the bus stand; Patiala is 70 km from Chandigarh.

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