The idol of Goddess Durga, carved out of Neem wood, also known as the Indian lilac or Margosa tree wood, and worshipped in the Chitteshwari Temple, is said to be one of the oldest idols of the Goddess found in Calcutta. The temple, located in Khagendra Chattopadhyay Road, near the Cossipore Ordnance Factory, is also considered one of the oldest temples in the city.

During those early days, the area was densely forested and den of the robbers. Although the tales of the bandits in Bengal are some how strangely associated with the worship of Goddess Kali, according to local legends, the idol was initially worshipped by Chitreshwar, commonly known as the notorious robber Chitey, who used to perform human sacrifice at the yard of the temple, to please the deity. People believed that he gained his immense strength and power by practicing some secret Tantric rituals related to the worship of the goddess.

Later, the idol in the temple was named Chitteshwari, as she was worshipped by ‘Chitey Dakat’ or Chitey, the notorious bandit,and the area came to be known as Chitpur, which was a popular way for pilgrimage to Kalighat. However, for reasons unknown, it came to be known among the Europeans as the Citteshwari Kali Temple.

Nevertheless, according to another version, Chitpur was home to Chakrapani, Commander-in-Chief of the Nawab of Bengal and the area could also have acquired its name from him.

It is said thatthe infamous Chitey Dakat was arrested by Chakrapani Dutta, the commander of Nawab Alibardi Khan and was hanged. During his lifetime, nobody dared to visit the area, being scared of the robbers and after his death, it remained equally neglected, as it was a forested area, surrounded by the stagnant poolsand far away from human habitation. Gradually, the abandoned temple was lost in the dense forest and faded away from the memory.

It is believed that, after around a century, a Tantric saint, Nrishingha Brahmachari, dreamt about an idol of Devi Durga lying in disgrace in the area and after looking for it for several days, he finally found the idol of the goddess in the dense forest along the Ganges. Nevertheless, he created a new idol of the goddess, using the wood of a Neem tree and started to worship the goddess according to Tantrik rituals. However, after his demise, the idol of the goddess was again lost in forgetfulness.

Later, a new temple was constructed on the site in the name of Goddess Chitteshwari in 1610, by Manohar Ghosh, a landlord of Jessore in Bangladesh.

The Chitteshwari Temple, also known as the Adi Chitteshwari Temple, housing Goddess Durga as Chitteshwari, is one of the oldest temples in Calcutta. Apart from the main temple, the complex also contains several other temples, dedicated to Shitala, Sri Krishna, Ram-Sita and Naat Mansur, the Shiva Lingam. The clean complex, located in the congested area, offers a calm, serene and peaceful atmosphere for the visitors.