History of Chittaranjan Park Kali Mandir According to the history of the Chittaranjan Park Kali Mandir, it was established in 1973. A land was offered by the nascent EPDP colony. At that moment a small temple dedicated to Lord Shiva was built on small hill at the edge of the colony. Durga Puja was also started in that year. The temple was flocked by several devotees. By the monetary help and initiative of the devotees the construction of the beautiful Kali temple was initiated in February 1984. The temple has been built of Bengal terracotta temple architecture that looks stunning. Later two other temples were constructed within the complex that were dedicated to Lord Shiva and the other one to Radha-Krishna. The temples were later adorned with intricate terracotta designs between the years 2006 to 2009. Pujas and Festivals of Chittaranjan Park Kali Mandir The Chittaranjan Park Kali Mandir celebrates many festivals and organises many pujas all through the year. These pujas and festivals are attended by many people who enthusiastically take part in them. The most famous and celebrated festival of the temple is the five day festival of Durga Puja. It is one of the most popular festivals in Delhi and attracts a huge crowd. The puja is celebrated on a grand scale is observed with great devotion. Beautiful flowers are offered to Godess Durga every day. Entire ponds from Bengal are booked well in advance for the blue lotus that needs to be offered to the deity during sandhi puja. Apart from this many other religious pujas are held here like Kali Puja, Lakshmi Puja, Saraswati Puja, Ganesh Chaturthi and others. There is also a small atelier where artists create the earthen idols of Durga and other goddesses. Chittaranjan Park Kali Mandir also houses a large library that stores a vast collection of books pertaining to various aspects of Bengali culture. Here Bengali language classes are also conducted for people interested to learn the language. A number of cultural programmes and competitions are organized for children. A guest house is also available here that is managed by the temple authorities. The Kali Mandir is now a hub of Bengali activity as there are several Bengalis residing in the Chittaranjan Park. |