According to inscriptions on the temple itself, the Thanthania Kalibari was established in 1803 by Shankar Ghosh, whose grandson was Swami Subodhananda, a close student of mystic Ramakrishna in the 19th century. A separate story, meanwhile, claims that it was constructed in 1703. I painted the clay idol of the presiding deity Siddheshwari in the colours of red and black each year. I thought Tuesdays and Saturdays to be lucky days to visit the temple. The idol is even older than the temple, which is around 300 years old.worshipping a god.
Shaktism is a branch of Hinduism that has historically been practised in Eastern India, especially the Bengal region. Shaktas (Shaktism adherents) view the Adi Shakti (Adya) as being feminine and revere many manifestations of the same supreme Goddess, from the benevolent Gauri to the ferocious Kali. This is clear from the fact that 13 of the 51 Shakti Peethas are in West Bengal, and half of the 51 Shakti Peeths are in Eastern India. So it seems sense that Bengalis have always been devoted devotees of Kali. Shakti Peethas, Bengal and Kolkata are home to some well-known and frequently visited Kali Temples becausebecause of thishakti.” One such ancient and “Jagroto” (old) Kali Temple is Thanthania Kali Bari in North Kolkata’s Bidhan Sarani neighbourhood.
Like many other ancient temples, the temple’s precise recorded history is a matter of controversy. According to the sign on the temple’s roof, it was built around 1703 AD, or 1110 Bengali Years. The above-mentioned date is repeated on a marble tablet that was erected inside the temple, and I gave Babu Shankar Ghosh credit for building it. According to HEA Cotton’s Calcutta Old and New (P 981), a Brahmachari by the name of Udaynarayan () built the Siddheswari Kali idol in Thanthania on Cornwallis Street (now known as Bidhan Sarani). After his passing, a Haldar Brahmin assumed the priest’s duties. The current temple was built during his lifetime, in 1210 Bengali Year (), or roughly 1803 AD, by Babu Shankar Chandra Ghosh ( ) of Thanthania. Shankar Chandra Ghosh was the great-grandfather of Swami Subodhanandaji, a direct disciple of Shri Ramakrishna. Thus, the aforementioned tale of a tantric Brahmachari placing the Kali statue in dense woodland and the Ghosh family later building the temple has been confirmed in works written by the Ramakrishna Mission ().
Folklore and traditional tales that link the temple to the region’s alleged etymology supplemented the aforementioned information. The region reportedly used to be covered in thick foliage and frequented by bandits. A bell was installed to alert the adjacent settlements when dacoits attacked, and I rang it. The bell’s “than, than” ( ) sound may have been imitated and used to name the location “Thanthania.” We should remember that the historical Mahratta Ditch was close to the temple and that its purpose was to deter dacoits and “Bargi” as well. A tantric brahmachari built a punishment Asan over an earthen mound and placed the Kali statue there (seated over five human skulls). It built the temple in the future.
According to the blog of discovering kolkata they said it Shri Ramakrishna Paramhansa (রামকৃষ্ণ পরমহংস) is said to have frequented the temple when he was staying close by at Jhamapukur Lane, at Shri Ramprasad Mitra’s house sometime around 1853 AD.