156-year-old temple in Ghasiyari Mandi where goddess Kali sits on five skulls

LUCKNOW: The year was 1863. Madhusudan Mukherjee, an ardent practitioner of tantra, was among the handful of adventurous Bengalis who migrated from the east to this City of Nawabs. He found his meditation spot under a neem tree. And, one dark night, he had a dream. Goddess Kali, the destroyer of evil, was seeking his unwavering commitment.
Madhusudan followed his dream and his dream knew the way.A plot of land around the same neem tree in Ghasiyari Mandi was obtained from the then Military Municipal Committee and a temple was built for the goddess. It also saw a revamp in 1905 with generous donation from the then Maharani of Darbhanga.
More than 156 years old, Ghasiyari Kalibari is arguably the oldest Kali temple of Lucknow, where devotees come in droves every new moon night, not to mention the swelling crowd on Kartik Amavasya, which begins on October 27 and ends on October 28 this year.
According to chief priest Amit Goswami, who has been associated with the temple for 15 years, this Kali temple is unique on many counts. "The goddess is worshipped in the benign Dakshina Kali form. She is the protector. She has four hands. Upper left holds the scimitar, the lower left a severed head, the upper right is in abhaya mudra (a gesture of reassurance) and lower right in varada mudra (blessings)," he explained. More intriguing is the seat of the goddess which, as legend goes, is built on panchamunda or five skulls that include one of a human, besides those of a monkey, a bat, an owl and a snake/fox.
"Together, they make a seat of power. The goddess is also seated on her consort Mahakal or Shiva, which is in conflict with popular mythology but stays true to the founder's dream," said Gautam Bhattacharya, president of the managing committee.
President of Kalibari Temple Trust Abhijit Sarkar said animal sacrifice was rife for years, with 60-70 goats being sacrificed on Kali Puja alone. The gory ritual was discontinued around 2000 and replaced with fruit sacrifice. The Trust today organises a host of charitable activities, including blood donation and health camps.
Among the several hundred temple regulars is contractor Sri Krishna Kanaujia. "I have been offering prayers for 28 years. The goddess has protected me and granted many of my wishes," the Eldeco resident said.
Rajendra Singh of Ganeshganj was barely into his teens when he first visited Ghasiyari Kalibari with his mother.
"There's something about the deity that draws you time and again. She makes me feel safe," he voiced collective sentiment of devotees.