Delve into the history and traditions of Kali Temple in Kaligali, Cuttack
Dr Dipak Samantarai
It is believed that during the Maratha period the locality of the present day Kaligali was an uninhabited stretch of wild forest land and there used to be a cremation ground where the Kali Mandir stands now. An Aghori Sadhu came and started living there. He came across a Shivalinga and began worshipping it.
After sometime he thought of worshipping Shakti as well there. He created an idol of Kali using clay brought from the Ganga around a copper skeleton. He offered prayers to the idol which he placed next to Shivalinga in a thatched house. He passed away handing the responsibility of worship to his disciple. His disciple found it difficult to perform the rites and rituals on a regular basis. He was disturbed as a result.
One night he did have a dream in which he was directed to go to a village called Bharanja near Mahanga, Salepur and bring the Brahmin priest of Ma Mangala there to Cuttack. There is the temple of Ma Mangala there and an open ground popularly known as Mangala Padia. In a strange coincidence, Gadai Panda, the priest of the Mangala temple was instructed to proceed to Cuttack in a dream. The disciple handed over the task of worshipping Kali to Gadei Panda and left for some undisclosed destination.
Niranjan Panda, the present priest of the temple is a direct descendant of Gadei Panda.
A local zamindar, Ishan Babu (Ishan Bandopadhyay), didn’t have any children. He prayed to Kali for an issue fervently and was blessed with a son whom he named as ‘Kali’. In gratitude he built a temple and donated some land for the upkeep of the temple and the family of the priest. Presently there are six priests offering Puja in the temple in a cyclic manner.
In this temple fish is offered as ‘Bhoga’. The tradition of regular offering of the non-vegetarian ‘Bhoga’ to the deity at the temple is believed to have started 200 years back. While non-vegetarian offerings are taboo at most of the Hindu temples, the shrine of Goddess Kali at Kali Gali in Cuttack city is known for its delectable ‘Macha Bhoga’.
‘Anna Prasad’ is offered to the deity twice daily and fish curry is an integral part of the mid-day prasad. The amount of fish offered as ‘Bhoga’ may be large or small depending upon availability,” said the chief priest of Kali temple Narayan Panda. Because of financial constraints and the reluctance of the fishermen to provide fish without charging anything, it is not possible to prepare and offer Macha Bhog everyday confides Rajesh Panda, son of the main priest.
Interestingly no onion or garlic is used for preparing the fish curry. Only indigenous fish are cooked by the priests using ginger, cumin and ghee (clarified butter) inside the ‘Rosha Ghara’ (kitchen) of the temple.
After the consecration of the Kali temple, the locality came to be known as Kali Gali. The three-foot-high idol of the four-armed Goddess Dakshina Mukhi Kali stands on the chest of Lord Shiva. Next to her there is the Shivalinga. As per tradition, ‘Sodasha Upachar Kali Puja’ is conducted at the Kali temple on Kali Puja on ‘Deepabali Amavasya’ at the shrine. Nabakalebara of the Debi takes place on the day before Deepabali. The idol is given a fresh coat of paint every year. The sanctum has three doors, a front door and two side doors.
Prasad is sold in shops located in the campus. Bhabani Sankar Sahoo (78), says that his family has been in this business for more than 60 years. Mini ledkeens priced @3 is a special attraction of this temple. We as children used to crave for it. Interestingly, other items like rasagola and ladoos are all in miniature editions.
There is also a unique tradition prevalent at the shrine. Unlike other places, instead of using serving utensils like plates, cups, saucers, etc, the ‘Anna Prasad’ is brought in the cooking pots directly from the ‘Rosha Ghara’ and offered to the deity.
This temple is like an oasis of peace and serenity not withstanding the din and chaos of nearby High Court square. Members of the legal fraternity patronise the temple. But for some unknown reasons the business community does not frequent the temple in impressive numbers.
The temple is being managed by the Endowment Commission.
(Dr Dipak Samantrai is a former public broadcaster, media educator and history enthusiast living in millennium city of Cuttack. Views expressed are personal.)
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