Siddheshwari Temple, located on Bidhan Sarani near College Street, is crowded with devotees all year round. The temple was established in 1703 CE by Udaynarayan Brahmachari. Udaynarayan himself was a Tantric practitioner. Kolkata had not yet truly become 'Kolkata.' Most parts of Sutanuti-Gobindapur were covered in a blanket of water and jungle. In that dense jungle, Udaynarayan built a Kali idol with his own hands out of clay, who is still worshipped as Goddess Siddheshwari. Devotees know this 'awake' (powerful/living) temple as Thanthania Kalibari.
Sri Ramakrishna And Coconut Water And Sugar (Daab And Chini) Offering In The Temple
In his early life, Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa used to visit
this temple often to have darshan of the Goddess. He would sing songs to please
the Goddess. Even later, after settling down at the Dakshineswar Kali Temple,
he did not forget the old Goddess Siddheshwari. He would come to this temple
and offer prayers on specific occasions.
It is said that when his disciple Keshab Chandra Sen once
became seriously ill, Sri Ramakrishna offered prayers to Goddess Siddheshwari
with coconut water and sugar (daab and chini) for his recovery. Keshab Chandra
recovered as well. Based on this belief, coconut water and sugar are still
offered as bhog to the Goddess today. Devotees believe that offering bhog in
this manner will fulfill their desires.
Although the vegetarian offering of coconut water and sugar is prevalent, the tradition of non-vegetarian bhog (offerings) is observed throughout the year at this temple. The only exceptions are the Phalaharini Puja and Dipanwita Amavasya (Kali Puja night).
The Temple
In the complete solitude, the bell sounds of the Kali temple could often be heard. Thon-thon… Thon-thon… This is how the area came to be known as Thanthania. The name of the Sri Sri Siddheshwari Kali Temple soon spread among the people. This awakened temple is now known as the Thanthania Kali Bari among devotees.
The idol of the goddess here is made of clay. It is renovated every year. The Thanthania Kali Bari celebrates the worship of Phalaharini in the month of Jyeshtha, the worship of Adi Kali on the new moon of Kartika, and the worship of Rotanti Kali in the month of Magh.
The idol of the goddess in this temple is neither made of metal nor stone. The idol of Siddheswari Kali in Thanthania is sculpted entirely from clay. Every year, a new idol is created. Instead of gold, silver jewelry adorns the goddess. Ma Siddheshwari is depicted with four arms and a deep black complexion. In her left hands, she holds a kharga (sword) and a Narakapal (a kind of mace), while in her right hands, she holds the abhaya (fearless) and varada (boon) gestures.
Just like the Kali temple of Dakshineswar’s Ma Bhabatarini, the Thanthania Ma Siddheswari Kali Temple in North Kolkata is also associated with the memory of Sri Ramakrishna. When he lived in Jhamapukur, he would often visit this temple and sing songs to the goddess. Even after settling in Dakshineswar, he would visit this temple occasionally to offer prayers.