The Dakshineswar Kali Temple stands on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River in Greater Kolkata. Rani Rashmoni, a zamindar and devotee of Kali, founded it. Building took eight years, from 1847 to 1855, and cost 900,000 rupees. The image was installed and the temple inaugurated on May 31, 1855.
The main temple is in the navaratna, or nine-spire, style of Bengal. It is three stories, 46 feet (14 m) square and over 100 feet (30 m) high. Inside, an image of Kali stands on a supine Shiva on a silver thousand-petal lotus throne. The complex also has 12 identical Shiva temples, a Radha-Krishna temple, a riverfront ghat and the Nahabat, a music tower.
Ramakrishna became head priest after 1856, and Sarada Devi lived in a small room beside the Nahabat. Rashmoni left property in Dinajpur to fund the temple through a trust.
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