Ambika Kalna

Ambika Kalna (Bengali: অম্বিকা কালনা Ambikā Kālnā), or simply Kalna, is a town in the Purba Bardhaman district of West Bengal, India. Situated on the western bank of the Bhagirathi River, it is also called the Temple City for the number of old temples found here. The town got its name from the deity Ma Ambika (incarnation of Goddess Kali) of Siddheswari Temple. The 108 Shiva temple signifies the Sun and Mother Ganges location at establishment time.

Understand
Ambika Kalna (OHM-bih-kah KAHL-nah) is a town on the west bank of River Bhagirathi. It reached its pinnacle of glory during the late 18th century under the patronage of the Maharajas of Bardhaman, who built several magnificent temples with intricate terracotta ornamentation. The maritime trade has long stopped and Kalna has lost the status of a flourishing port city, but many of the temples have survived the test of time and stand to this day. Most of this temples have intricate terracotta ornamentation along with detailed stucco work. The temples still remind one of Kalna’s glorious past. Kalna houses three of the five 25 pinnacled temples of West Bengal. Apart from the temples, Kalna has several religious structures dedicated to Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, one of the greatest social reformers of Bengal. In spite of housing some of the finest temples of West Bengal, Ambika Kalna lacks basic tourist infrastructure. There are no guides to tell you about the history of the temple. There are only a few basic eateries and a handful of hotels. The town lacks adequate toilet felicities.

By train
is connected to the loop line route from Howrah to Katwa. It can be reached by several local as well as express trains which travel in that route. Direct trains to Ambika Kalna are also available from Kolkata's Sealdah station.

By plane
The nearest airport is Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport at Kolkata.

By boat
Ganga Vilas, India's luxurious river cruise, has a stop at Ambika Kalna.

Get around
Totos (three-wheelers run by electricity) and autos (three-wheelers run by diesel or CNG) are the only mode of transport within the town. Both can be booked for the entire trip. For people who are interested in details in the temple can break up the journey by booking auto and toto for shorter trips. In both cases, there is no fixed fare, so bargaining is absolutely essential.

See
The city is known for the various old temples with terracotta works. The temples are active temples and open early morning and are open till noon. They are closed from noon to 4PM and again open at about 4PM. They remain open till 7PM.

Rajbari temple complex
The Rajbari temple complex consists of several temples and other religious structures built over a period of more than a hundred years. It lies bang opposite the Nava Kailash complex. The complex houses two of the three 25-pinnacled temples of Kalna (incidentally there are a total of five 25-pinnacled temples in West Bengal). The complex is laid out with well manicured lawns crisscrossed with walkways. The lawns are laid out with flower beds and trimmed hedges.

Temples and shrines dedicated to Sree Chaitanya
Sree Chaitanya (1486–1534) was a great social reformer and Hindu guru from Bengal. Sree Chaitanya have visited Kalna twice. The city houses several temples and shrines realated to the life of Sree Chaitanya. None of these temples or sites have any terracotta and stucco ornamentation.

Do
Apart from the temples, Kalna is famous for its Saraswati Puja and draws huge crowd from other parts of the state. Large decorated pandals, beautiful lighting and artistic idols are the reason people visit Kalna during this festival.

Another important festival of Kalna is the Mahishmardini Puja. The festival is observed for 4 days and a huge fair takes place.

Eat and drink
Ambika Kalna is known for confectioneries like nōṛa pantuẏa (নোড়া পান্তুয়া NOH-rrah PAHN-too-ah) and makha sondeś (মাখা সন্দেশ MAH-khah SHAWN-desh).

Unfortunately there are not too many places for a proper meal in the city.

For snacks, there are sweet shops all over the city, where you can have sweets as well as snacks like kachori (কচুরি KOH-choo-rih), samosa (শিঙাড়া SHIHNG-ah-rrah) and paratha (পরোটা PAW-roh-ttah).

For lunch or dinner, there are few small shops and roadside stalls around Chowk Bazar near the Kalna temple complex. There you can have rice, vegetables, meat or fish. None are hygienic, so if you are concerned, avoiding these places will be better. Bringing your own food is a good option.

For a more hygienic and proper meal, Hotel Priyadarshini near the bus stand is a good option for Bengali lunch and dinner.

Go next

 * Nabadwip
 * Katwa
 * Guptipara