Located in the Tangra Area in Calcutta, popularly known as Calcutta’s Chinatown, stands the unique Chinese Kali Temple as a perfect symbol of cross-cultural assimilation in the city. Although most of the 2500 estimated India born Chinese origin population of Calcutta live in or near Tangra, the ethnic Chinese and their local Hindu neighbours rarely mingle. But the temple of Goddess Kali that stands on Matheswartala Road in Tangra and popularly known as the Chinese temple, serves as a bridge between the Indian and Chinese cultures, strengthening the bond between the two very different communities.
Every day, while passing the temple, the Chinese residents instinctively pause, take off their shoes and pay respect in front of the Goddess, before they leave.
While the unimpressive structure of the temple was constructed only around 2006, the site is said to be about 60 years old, when the locals used to worship a couple of sindoor or vermilion smeared black stones under an old tree. It is said that around that time, a 10-year-old boy from the Chinese community, living in the area with his family, fell very sick. Gradually, his condition became so critical that even the doctors gave up hope for the eventuality.
Losing all hopes, his helpless parents laid him down near the old tree and prayed to the almighty for his survival for many nights at a stretch. Although it seemed to be unbelievable, the boy finally recovered like a miracle. Since then the site has become a sacred place for the Christians, Buddhists and the Chinese of the area, who believe it as the holy site of Goddess Kali. After that, when the temple was constructed, it was dedicated to Goddess Kali and became an integral part of the locals, especially of the Chinese community.
The Chinese Kali Temple, surrounded by granite walls, was built by donations collected from every Chinese family living in the area. Apart from two traditional idols of the Goddess, it also houses the two sacred vermilion smeared black stones. The annual Kali Puja is celebrated in the temple on the night of Diwali, the festival of lights, when most Chinese residents of the area take their day off and different responsibilities are allotted to different members.
During the Puja, the chanting of the Sanskrit verses by the priest, along with the illuminated tall candles and the aroma of the special Chinese incense sticks, creates a tranquil and peaceful ambiance in the temple, which fills the heart of the local people, the Chinese and Bengali, who take part in the traditional Pushpanjali, offerings of flowers to the deity. After the end of the Puja rituals, Prosad is distributed to the devotees, which instead of fruits and sweets consists of noodles and chop suey.
However, their ritual of performing the act of reverence to the deity with the incense sticks, which is known as Arati in the Bengali language, is unlike the Hindu method. They hold the incense sticks with both hands and bow down three times in front of the idol, unlike the Hindu method of holding the incense and making a circular motion with it. During the night of Diwali, apart from celebrating the Kali Puja, the Chinese community in the area traditionally burn special Chinese handmade paper outside their premises to ward off the evil spirits.