Joy Kali Temple

The statue of Goddess Kali inside the Joy Kali Temple in Old Dhaka

The entrance to the Joy Kali Temple is welcomed by this Hindu spell 'Om'

The Temple of Joy Kali (Bengali: জয় কালী মন্দির) in Dhaka, Bangladesh, is situated between Thathari Bazar and Wari, on a road itself named after this temple, at 24 Joy Kali Temple street. Joy Kali Temple is a Hindu temple devoted to Goddess Kali Ma. People of Hindu religion of every age come to this temple to worship Goddess Kali. The statue of Goddess Kali is of great significance to the Hindus. The visitors and committee members of this temple gather money for occasions, where sweets are later distributed among them which is called 'Prasad'.

History

This temple is about 400 years old, established in the Bengali year 1001. During the reign of the Nawabs, Dewan of Nawabs Tulsi Narayan Ghosh and Nabh Narayan Ghosh established this temple with the inspection of Bancharam Saint. At that time they established twenty-one statues of Shib, Kali, Lakshminarayan, three Shalgram Chakra, Bandurga etc. A few beautiful monuments like Pancharatna, Nabratna, temple of Shiv, guest house, were built in the house of Joy Kali. Even market named Nawabpur Joy Kali bazar, and a market situated at the south of Kaliganj hut was dedicated to Joy Kali Devi.

Present condition

The first caretaker of this Joy Kali Devi was Bancharam Saint, the third caretaker was Panachenand, who suffered a decline, so the responsibility to serve the Devi got into the hands of Bhraman Tanyar. Later the landlords of that time seized some of the land of this temple. Starting from that time the temple started to erode, due to lack of maintenance and shortage of money. This temple was damaged during the strike of 1990’s. The temple was renovated later on by Goddess Kali’s followers. Now the temple is much smaller than it was when it was first established. The temple was burgled and valuables looted by thieves in 2010.^[1]

The dome of Joy Kali Temple in the old days and the present days

Architectural significance

Inside the boundary of this temple there is basically two temples. One of the temples is of Kali Devi, the other one, which has a dome, is of Shiv. The dome is made out of plaster and is visible from outside. Locals of that area refer to this dome as the Joy Kali Temple. The front of the temple complex is a busy stop for human haulers that go into old Dhaka. The temple has tiles on the walls all around, and the floor is made out of mosaic. There are pictures of Hindu Gods and Goddesses printed on the tiled walls of the temple. The entrance to the temple is welcomed by a logo made of stainless steel saying 'Om'- which is a Hindu divine symbol. In front of the Kali Devi statue is a bell hanging from above, it is a ritual to ring the bell after entering the temple and before leaving.

References

• Muntassir Mamoon (1993). Dhaka Smriti Bismritir Nagori. Ananya. ISBN 984-412-104-3. 
• Mahbubur Rahman (2011). City of an Architect. Delvista Foundation. ISBN 978-984-33-2451-1. 

Hindu temples in Bangladesh
National Temple	Dhakeshwari Jatiya Mandir (Dhaka)
Shakti Peethas	Bhabanipur Chandranath Temple Jeshoreshwari Kali Temple Shri Shail Sugandha
Notable temples	Adinath Temple Bishyanath Temple Boro Kali Bari Temple Chatteshwari Temple Comilla Jagannath Temple Dhamrai Jagannath Rath Jagannath Temple, Pabna Joy Kali Temple Kal Bhairab Temple, Brahmanbaria Kaliya jue Temple Kantajew Temple Lalmai Chandi Temple Laxmi Narayan Mandir, Dhaka Muktagachha Shiva temple Puthia Temple Complex Ramna Kali Mandir Shree Shree Siddheswari Kalimandir Sonarang Twin Temples Swami Bagh Temple Temple of King Kangsa Narayan
Hindu Ashrams in Bangladesh

Coordinates: 23°43′18″N 90°25′00″E / 23.7216°N 90.4167°E / 23.7216; 90.4167