Three weeks ago, my relatives from Delhi had come to Calcutta on a flying visit. As I was supposed to be knowing Calcutta well, I took them around to places they wanted to visit. It was also an opportunity for me to see places around Calcutta which I normally won't like temples, churches, etc.
On Saturday, we visited the famous Kali temple in Kalighat (where else should it be!!). We took a an taxi to Shovabazar Metro station (it was also an opportunity for my relatives to see the famous Calcutta Metro) and from there we went to Kalighat. The temple is about 15 minutes walk from the Metro station. (I would add the map as soon as I can make sense of Google Maps).
It seems that this particular Saturday (31st March) was the birthday of Kalima. My father had warned that even during weekdays there is a lot of rush in the temple. Being a weekend and the "birthday" turned the whole place into a mess. Outside the temple the whole road aptly named the Kalighat Temple Road is full of trinkets and potential offerings to the deity. It is a outdated custom in Hindu temples that you cannot wear slippers inside the temple. So outside most Hindu temples in India, one finds a chappal stand to take care of your slippers while you are with the lord. In case you don't leave your footwear in one of these stands most probably you won't find them when you come back. My mom once went into a temple in Delhi keeping her slippers outside. When she returned, she found the slippers missing. At least the thief was considerate enough to leave her slippers behind so that my mother did not have to return home barefooted.
Armed with this knowledge, all of us were scouting for the chappal stand. Unfortunately, there were not such stands. We found a few folks asking us if they wanted to keep our slippers in their custody while we were inside the temple. Relieved, we took off our footwear and were about to leave the counter when they asked us to buy something from their shops. They said it is mandatory to buy something from their shops. I said, I would give the money for keeping the slippers but would not buy something from their shops. They insisted that we buy something else we can keep our slippers. I would have protested but I did not want to make my relatives uncomfortable so we bought an offering for Rs 11 - the lowest denomination possible. And we went inside.
I have drawn a rough outline sketch of temple.
Inside the temple is a mess. As you enter from the entrance (a), you have to join the queue (b-c-d-e) which would take at least 2 hours to clear. I don't mind waiting in the queue but the way the queue is managed is a shame on the temple management. Your enter the inner sanctum via a small door (d) and exit from the same door and continue on path (e) to the exit. However there are a lot of pimps/brokers/middlemen there who would take you to the temple without you having to wait in the queue. They start at Rs 100 for a group (more if you are a foreigner) but you can bargain for less. We bargained for Rs 50 for a group of three. How does this work?
There is a policeman at the exit (e) who (atleast in theory) is supposed to ensure that people don't enter the temple via the exit. But if you bribe him, he would let you in. This pimp is the market maker between you and the policeman. He would bribe the policeman on your behalf and let you in from the exit. So he asks you to give him Rs. 10 which in turn is passed on to the policeman and you can enter from the exit. Unfortunately for us, today the policeman was not in the mood (in other words he wanted more) so we gave him 10 more. And we were able to enter from the exit. We were definitely not alone. There were many such pimps and many regulars to the temple who were pushing these pimps to get into the temple.
However this is not all. You are allowed to stand inside the sanctum for hardly 30 seconds and there is a mad rush of people inside. The priest grabs you by your head, shoves it into a heap of other heads peering into a window and lo and behold your darshan is over. People are pushing and shoving each other in a desperate attempt to have a sight of the deity. People who had endured 2-3 hours in the queue would have definitely felt cheated and would ask themselves if this was worth the wait.
There is another way that you can have a look at the deity. There is a very narrow passage (g) about 3 feet wide between the main temple and another structure which I call the viewing gallery. In this passage, you can look at the deity (if you are lucky) as there is an window for people from the viewing gallery. On this window a priest sits chanting his mantras and collecting offerings on behalf of the deity. Unfortunately, this route is congested as many people break the queue and enter this passage. I am surprised a stampede does not happen here. My aunt was almost crushed in this passage.
There is another way to get the darshan. There is a policeman at the beginning of the queue (b) who ensures that the queue is strictly followed. However as with most things official in India, you can have your way by bribing him and you can get into the temple faster. Yet another way to get a darshan (though you would be hardly able to catch a glimpse) is to go through the viewing gallery. There too it is congested with people and priests want you to offer generous donations to them in the name of the goddess.
The scene was very much the same the next day when we visited the Dakkineshwar Temple the next day. The only difference was that the scene was enacted in close to 40 degrees (Celsius) of sweltering heat. The idiocy of having to leave your slippers outside just beats you. Your feet are literally fried on the uncovered stoned flooring of the temple.
I have seen quite a few temples (many of them were congested) when I stayed in Madras for 4 years. But I have to say that these temples are very badly managed. They are "renowned" and hence should get a lot of money in form of donations but surely better amenities can be provided to the devotees. And the way they treat these devotees is shameful. If you are in Calcutta and want to visit these temples, it is simply not worth it.
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