There are many temples in West Bengal, where Kali Maa is worshipped, but the Chinese Kali Temple located in Tangra, Kolkata, the capital of Bengal, is very special. Here a confluence of two different cultures is seen in the worship of Maa Kali. Neither laddus nor fruits are offered in Tangra Kali temple. Here, Chowmein, Momos and other Chinese dishes are offered to Goddess Kali, which is as interesting as it sounds. There is a special story hidden behind this unique Prasad tradition.
This Chinese Kali temple located in Tangra is not only famous because of its unique offerings but also remains in the news because of the glory of Maa Kali. Many people believe that by visiting this temple, the wishes of the devotees are fulfilled and their sorrows and pains go away. Now the question arises that what is the specialty of this temple and why chow mein and noodles are offered here? Let us know.
The tradition of offering chow mein in the temple is to China. Actually, around the year 1930, there was a civil war going on in China. During that time many Chinese people came and settled in India. Some of them started living in Tangra area of Bengal. These people gradually started adopting the culture of Kolkata.
After some time, they started worshiping in this temple of Tangra but they did not offer sweets or flowers to Kali Maa. Instead they started offering their favorite Chinese dishes like chow mein and noodles. Seeing this, the local Indian people also started adopting the same tradition. For this reason, even today chow mein and noodles are offered in this temple.
This temple has now become a symbol of the confluence of Indian and Chinese traditions. For this reason it is known as Chinese Kali Temple.
This area is the famous Chinatown of Kolkata, where people of the Chinese community have been living for a long time. Due to this cultural influence, local food and drink are also reflected in the faith here. People believe that offering one’s favorite food to Maa Kali is true devotion, and with this thinking this tradition has been going on for years.
According to many religious experts, many years ago a family lived in this area, whose son was ill for a long time. The doctors had given up hope of his recovery. After this, the child’s parents went to a place, where they placed two stones near a tree and started worshiping Goddess Kali with devotion.
After some time his son slowly started recovering. Considering it a miracle, the couple built a temple of Maa Kali at the same place. Since then, a large number of devotees come here to worship, especially during Navratri, a huge crowd is seen here.
To visit this temple, first of all you have to reach Kolkata by bus, train or plane. After this you will have to go to Phoolbagan via metro, car or taxi. The Chinese Kali Temple is about 2.7 kilometers away from Phoolbagan, where you can easily reach by rickshaw or local transport.
