Howrah and Kolkata not as orderly as Mumbai and Chennai. Though cosmopolitan, they have strong regional flavor of locally induced culture. The official taxi stand had a long line and passengers were picked up in a delayed sequence. Somebody mentioned about a private taxi stand on the other side of the road. You could hire a transport there and negotiate a flat price. We negotiated a trip to the Kali Temple. Unlike the neighboring Bihar and Orissa States, Bengal does not boast much of old cultural heritage through monuments.or architecture. After the settlement by the British, it did become a strong center of art, music and literature. The economy and the local culture helped create a diverse land-owner class of families who seem to control the religious services for people. The Kali Temple, that we were visiting, was one of such private establishments.
Devi is an old concept in Indian culture. An agriculture based society links earth's fertility to one's well being. The fertility can be mapped through a feminine force leading to a female deity. The later writers speculated three different forms of the deity: (i)one that lets us go to sleep and is wrathful, (ii) one that gives us knowledge, intelligence and food and (iii) one that protects us in situations of danger and reduces our grief. The first of these is called Kali.
The icon of Kali is conceived to be dark and fierce looking. She carries rage and knows no mercy. She has her own whimsical way in the universe. She could be associated with the massive destruction that we observe through floods, earthquakes, typhoons, diseases and wars. In the conceptual cosmology, it is her wrath that causes destruction. The human beings must do all they can to keep her at peace. She takes "pleasure" in "killing". Regular sacrifice of living objects is assumed as a method to "appease" her.
Offering life sacrifices can be brutal and superstitions can climb to high order. Some areas developed this to make human sacrifices. Old Indian scriptures mention about these sacrifices. They also carefully describe the ritualistic procedure to conduct such a sacrifice. Culture in a society develops through experiments. The sacrifice culture survived most likely because of its drama and thrill. Intoxication and other merry making tools also were added to create a local festival out of the slaughter. The process could produce massive amounts of rich food.
It is not clear why the culture took root in eastern areas like Bengal, Assam and Orissa. It could be connected with the annual loss of life and property through the floods, typhoons and sea swells. Water also brings infectious diseases that can wipe out population. Nature can be a terror in certain situations. The terror is represented as Kali, The "learned" idea was that she should be appeased for relief! The idea has run thousands of years.
Some remnants of animal sacrifice continue today with the new technique of "painless" slaughter. My guide in the Temple explained to me how new sharp instruments do the job clean and fast. I did not object to his bloating. I had hired him to take me inside the Temple. It was a Thursday. There was a huge crowd waiting in a line to enter. One could make a short cut by paying money, an avenue of private capitalism. The Temple becomes a sight seeing object attracting good bit of foreign visitors to curiosity and scare.
I was visiting the Temple as a part of the completion of my ritual. After the liberation ritual at Gaya, it was customary that one visited another Temple to beg forgiveness for any errors. My mother was a strong believer in the concept of Kali. My visit was in honor of my mother. My guide took me inside the Temple through a side entrance and I was right in front of the deity in a couple of minutes. The deity was adorned with golden ornaments. The icon had a long tongue protruding out. I learned that it was created out of solid gold. The faithful sees faith not object. The faith in the building was riding high.
My guide took me to a senior priestly man who apparently belonged to the family that runs the Temple. He solicited money and I gave him some without arguing. My mother used to give money at Devi Temples. I have not thought how religious institutions might be supported. The older views however need evaluation and refinement. The area was full with people. They seemed to represent all sectors of the society.
The area is called Kalighat. It is a mini city. There were large flower shops and sweet shops. There were textile stores and handicraft stores. Gifts to a woman can be many, they can be creative. People buy them and offer at the Temple. Temple goods get auctioned periodically to create cash. A private Temple can be a good business venture. All Bengal temples were built during the British rule by procuring free land. The public pay for the service and remain grateful that the temples exist. One creates public legend on the sanctity of the deity. Stories of "miracles" can be circulated like the churches do.
My friends were waiting in the taxi and I had to return. Dr. Laximcharan was extremely fatigued. He needed rest. His leg was hurting. He took a decision to check into a hotel for a few hours rest before riding the train. I felt uneasy that I had put him under stress. I had to be in a lunch meeting the next day. The trains were getting late. I thought I should utilize the time than simply waiting.
We had a conference in the taxi. We decided that Dr. Laxmicharan would check into a hotel and Soumya could attend on him. I would be dropped off at the Bus stop to find a bus transportation to Bhubaneswar. I had taken the bus from Kolkata before on an occasion when I was evicted from flight because of a ministerial entourage. Like Kali in Kalighat, Kolkata operates on whim. The administration there operates with lots of middle men.
Kolkata roads are wide and not as crowded as Mumbai. There was a lot of dust because all roads were not well paved. Occasionally one saw the huge fountain like structures at the major intersection leading to an imagination of city planning. Possibly the fountains worked during the British period. Now they were dusty and looked like obstructions. Going several miles through the city traffic we reached a relatively open space with buses parked on the side. I saw signs written in Oriya at a location. I bought my ticket for the first bus that would leave at 5 PM.
