Kalighat Kali Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the Hindu goddess Maa Kali.  It is one of the 51 Shakti Peethas.  The temple is located in the city of Calcutta on the banks of the river Hooghly (Bhagirathi).  The name Calcutta is said to have been derived from the word Kalighat.. However the river over a period of time has moved away from the temple.  The temple now stands on the banks of a small canal called Adi Ganga which is connected to the Hooghly.

Kalighat represents the site where the right toe of Dakshayani or Sati fell.  According to the legend,a devotee discovered a luminant ray of light coming from the Bha-girathi river bed, and upon investigating found a piece of stone carved in the form of a human toe.  He also found a Svayambhu Lingam of Nakuleshwar Bhairav nearby, and started worshiping Kaali in the midst of a thick jungle.  Later a small temple was built in the form a small hut.  Later in the 16th century, a small temple was constructed by King Manasingha.The Kalighat temple in its present form is only about 200 years old, although it has been referred to in Mansar Bhasan composed in the 15th century, and in Kavi Kankan Chandi of the 17th century.

The image found here at the temple is unique.It has three huge eyes, long protruding tongue made of gold which touches the ground and four hands.  One hand holds a sword, second holds a severed head, third and forth are in the abhaya and varada mudras or blessings.

The temple is open from morning 4.30 am till 2pm and from 3 pm till 10.30 pm.

The Victoria Memorial of Kolkata is a majestic structure in white marble, modeled on Taj Mahal.  It took15 years to complete the construction of the building (1906-1921). Lord Curzon wanted to comemorate Queen Victoria's 25-year reign in India, so he planned thic novel idea of building the Victoria Memorial. .  After the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857, the British government took the reins of India from the East India Company and took direct control of the country  and in 1876 the British parliament made Victoria the Empress of India.  Her reign ended with her death in 1901.

This magnificent structure was designed by Sir William Emerson and inaugurated by the Prince of Wales.  It is located in the southern end of the Kolkata Maidan, and lies close to the Jawaharlal Nehru Road.  Set in the middle of the beautiful garden grounds, the Victoria Memorial of Kolkata has a large bronze statue of the Queen Empress.  There is a moving angel on the top of the Victoria Memorial facing the Calcutta Maidan.

The Victoria Memorial is possibly the most awesome reminder of the British Raj to be found in India.  This huge white-makrana marble museum, is filled with a vast collection of remainings from the period of British Empire rule in India.  The forms in the museum like the great dome, clustered with four subsidiary, octagonal domed chattris, the high portals, the terrace and the domed corner towers speak of a splendid richness in architecture. 

 

The Memorial is situated on 64 acres of land with the building covering 338 ft by 228 ft.  The Memorial's grandeur at a height of 200 feet (184 ft up to the base of the figure of Victory, which is again 16 ft high) is accentuated by the serenity that engulfs you in its corridors.  The groups of figures above the north porch represent Motherhood, Prudence and Learning.  Surrounding the main dome are figures of Art, Architecture, Justice, Charity etc. The vastness and splendour of Victoria Memorial can be known  from the fact that it has been divided into different divisions namely the garden, library and others for maintenance You can also see a host of valuable articles like the dagger of Tipu Sultan, a cannon used in the battle of Plassey, rare books that date back to 1870, valuable manuscripts like the Ain-i-Akbari by Abul Fazal, rare postage stamps and Western paintings which pulls the visitors to this awesome monument.. The Victoria Memorial of Kolkata is one of the most popular tourist spot in the city .It is also one of the few well- maintained heritage buildings that ever existed in the capital city.  It is open everyday except Mondays from 10 am to 4.30 pm.