Faith and beliefs have much bigger power and relevance and when it comes to a temple and how powerful it is, a lot of it depends on the beliefs of the devotees. In India you will find so much to explore when it comes to temples. And for Shakti worshippers the fierce Goddess Kali is one of the major powers of worship. One such powerful temple that the devotees believe in is the Naihati Boro Maa. Here Goddess Kali as Boro Maa is a powerful entity. Located in Naihati in West Bengal the Goddess here is so powerful that people believe that she fulfills all the wishes of the devotees. During Kali Puja especially, the whole of Naihati swims into festivities as people from all over the world visit here to seek blessings from Boro Maa.
If you are ever visiting Naihati then this is one temple that you must visit. Also if you are already planning a trip to the Naihati Boro Maa Mandir then you need to keep on reading this article. This will be a helpful read for you if you are planning a trip to Naihati.
Naihati Boro Maa
Location: Shyam Road, Naihati, Thakur Para, Kolkata, West Bengal
Naihati Boro Maa mandir timing: The Naihati Boro Maa puja time is from 8 am to 1pm, 1:30 pm to 2:30 pm and from 4 pm to 8 pm
Entry Fee: There is no entry fee
How to reach
By air
If you are travelling by air then the nearest airport is the Nataji Subhash Chandra Bose International airport in Kolkata. From the airport you can either take a cab or take a car to reach the temple in about 1 hour 10 minutes. The distance of the temple from the airport is about 38.7 km.
By train
If you are travelling by train then the nearest railway station is the Naihati Railway Station. You can get trains from Sealdah like Shantipur local, Ranaghat local, Naihati local, Gede local etc. Then you need to get down at the Naihati station and from there the temple is 550 metres away. You can easily walk up to the temple to reach there in a few minutes.
By ferry
You can also opt for ferry services from Chinsurah as well. From Chinsurah ferry ghat you can reach Naihati in about 15 minutes. From the Howrah station you can take trains till Chinsurah and after that you can opt for ferry.
By road
You can also get buses from locations like Kolkata, Madhyamgram, Barasat, Birati as well to reach Naihati. After reaching there you can take local transport like a rickshaw to reach the temple easily. If you wish to travel by road then also you can take a car or hire a cab to reach the temple from different locations. There is free parking space available near the ghat which is a few minutes away from the temple. So parking your vehicle would not be a hassle here.
Overview of Naihati Boro Maa
Boro Maa is the famous form of Goddess Kali in Naihati and people consider her as one of the most powerful Goddesses. It is majorly one of the oldest Kali Puja that is happening in Naihati for the past 100 years. Due to people’s belief that Boro Maa fulfills the wishes of all the people, every year a huge number of devotees visit here. It is also one of the most crowded temples as well. Located on the bank of River Ganga, Naihati is a small town located in North 24 Parganas.
The people from Naihati have been maintaining their tradition with the worship of Boro Maa and each year the puja is getting grander. You cannot imagine the grandeur of Boro Maa or the puja only by looking at the Naihati Boro Maa image. You actually need to visit there in person to understand the essence of this puja. Also if you have any wishes then also you can surely visit here to get them fulfilled. Moreover, visit here with an open heart and clear soul and maybe Naihati Boro Maa will fulfill your wishes too.
Naihati Boro Maa History
The Naihati Boro Maa puja has been going on for the past 100 years. Previously the people in Naihati used to worship a small idol of Goddess Raksha Kali more than 100 years back. The founders of this puja initially celebrated the puja as their ancestral puja or Barir Pujo. One day Bhavesh Chackraborty along with his friends visited Nabadwip to enjoy the celebrations of Bhanga Rash. There he witnessed huge idols and was amazed by the grandeur of the puja as well. None of them could forget the sight of those huge idols and they were mesmerized and spellbound as well.
After they returned to Naihati one night, Bhavesh Chakraborty had a dream. In his dream the small idol of Goddess Kali appeared and asked him to mould her into one of those gigantic idols. And on the basis of that the founders conceived the idea of Boro Maa. Naihati Boro Maa height is 22 feet tall in the form of Raksha Kali or Smashan Kali. Over the years the puja became popular and got much attention for the power of the Goddess here. Devotees started visiting here from different parts of the world. And the Kali Puja here also became one of the biggest as well. The puja here is a 5 day affair. And it is visited by 60, 000 devotees or more on each day of the festival.
Read More: FESTIVALS OF WEST BENGAL, WEST BENGAL FESTIVALS
Speciality of Naihati Boro Maa
The height of Naihati Boro Maa is undoubtedly one of the major attractions of this puja. Moreover, the idol of Boro Maa is massive and fierce. In West Bengal mostly a more softened form of the Goddess is something that the people worship. Also the Goddess is mostly blue in colour. Unlike the domesticated form of Dakshina Kali or Shyama Kali, the idol of Boro Maa is in the form of Smasahan Kali or Raksha Kali. She has 4 hands and stands on top of Lord Shiva with her tongue elongated and out. Also she is completely black in colour as well with big eyes. She adorns 12 kgs of Gold and 200 kgs of silver ornaments. The Puja until 2014 was the only attraction here.
However in 2014 the authorities built a new Naihati Boro Maa Mandir here. For the people wishing to visit Boro Maa other than the time of Kali Puja the mandir opening was a sigh of relief. However in 2023 a new temple opened in place of the old one. On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Naihati Boro Maa the puja committee built a new temple here. They built a new shrine of the Goddess.
Furthermore in the temple the idol of Boro Maa is four and a half feet in height. From the rugged stones from Rajasthan the idol is made and placed in the new temple. Along with that there was an offering of 100 Bhari of gold as well. The form of Boro Maa in the temple is the same as the Kali Puja in Naihati, only a smaller version.
Read More: SHAKTI PEETH IN WEST BENGAL, HOW MANY SHAKTI PEETH IN WEST BENGAL
What’s more?
Another major attraction of this temple and puja is that the authorities collect no sum of money to organise the puja. It was the wish of the founders that whatever sum the devotees would contribute here voluntarily, they would use that for the purpose of puja here. And till date that tradition is continuing here. During the Kali Puja more than 4000 people take Bhog Prasad here that comes from the house of Bhavesh Chakraborty. Also you can get Bhog Prasad from the temple as well on every Tuesday and Saturday at free of cost. And there is no coupon also to get the Prasad as well.
Wrapping Up!
So that was all about Boro Maa in Naihati and you surely need to visit here once. You can definitely visit here during the Kali Puja to witness the grandeur of puja here. Or else you can visit the temple anytime as well to seek blessings from Boro Maa. So let me know if this article on Boro Maa is helpful for you. And also let me know when you are planning a trip there.
