Dakshineswar is all set for Kali Puja this year. On this new moon Monday, the special worship of the Mother Kali will take place. Anticipating a huge crowd of devotees, the police administration and temple authorities are fully prepared. The Dakshineswar Kali Temple is illuminated beautifully for the occasion. The temple doors opened for visitors at 6 a.m. Devotees can enter and exit through two entry points and one exit route.
The special Kali Puja will begin at 10:30 p.m. after the ritual bathing with the Ganges water.
Tradition holds that at that hour, the sacred pot is dipped in the river’s tidal waters, brought to the temple, and used to bathe the Goddess before the puja begins. The same will happen this year. The Mother will be adorned with a special Banarasi saree and plenty of gold jewelry. Five varieties of fish, pulao, khichuri, and payesh will be offered as bhog. After the puja, around 1:30 a.m., the yajna will begin, followed by anjali.
Kushal Chowdhury, the temple trustee and secretary, said, “For 170 years, the Mother Kali's puja has been performed according to the same rituals, and it will be the same this year as well.”
Extra security measures have been arranged by the police. A large police presence will be deployed in and around the temple area. Plainclothes officers will be stationed to prevent snatching and eve-teasing. River Traffic Police will patrol the Ganges. Disaster Management teams will also be on duty. Surveillance will be conducted through CCTV cameras and drones. The temple’s own volunteers will also assist in maintaining order.
Barrackpore Police Commissioner Muralidhar Sharma said, “More than 250 police personnel, led by a Deputy Commissioner-ranked officer, will be deployed to ensure Dakshineswar Temple’s security.”
