The Kolkata temples tour begins with hotel pickup at 9 am in a private air conditioned vehicle.

The first stop is Belur Math, the worldwide headquarters of the Ramakrishna Mission, built in 1938 on the west bank of the Hooghly. The architecture is unlike any other religious building in the world — designed to embody Ramakrishna’s teaching of the universality of all religions, it incorporates the gate of a Hindu temple, the windows of a Christian church, the dome of an Islamic mosque and the ground plan of a Buddhist chaitya into a single harmonious structure. Your guide visits the Sri Ramakrishna Temple, the Old Shrine and the Swami Brahmananda Temple, explaining the life and philosophy of Ramakrishna and the extraordinary spiritual movement he inspired.

Dakshineswar temple follows, founded by Rani Rashmoni in 1855 following a dream in which the goddess Kali appeared to her and asked to be worshipped on the banks of the Hooghly rather than in Varanasi. The nine spired Kali temple at the centre of the complex houses a mesmerising basalt figure of the goddess covered in gold brocade. This is also the temple where Ramakrishna spent much of his spiritual life as a priest, and your guide explains the remarkable story of how this temple became one of the most important centres of the Bengal spiritual renaissance that shaped India’s independence movement.

The Pareshnath Jain Temple in the Badrabagh area of Kolkata is one of the most visually extraordinary temples in the city. Built in 1867 by Jain merchants who followed the East India Company to Kolkata and became one of the most influential communities in the city, it is dedicated to Pareshnath, the 23rd Jain Tirthankara. The mirror work, the stained glass and the meticulously maintained gardens are unlike anything else in Kolkata. A lamp has been burning in the sanctum without interruption since the day the temple was consecrated.

Kalighat temple is the final stop, one of the 51 Shakti Peeths of Hinduism and one of the most intensely charged places of worship in India. According to legend, the toes of the right foot of Sati fell at this spot during the cosmic dance of Lord Shiva, making it one of the most sacred goddess sites in the country. The present temple was built by the Sabarna Roy Chowdhury family in 1809 on the site of a much older shrine. The atmosphere here is visceral and alive, very different from the serenity of Belur Math, and together the two temples bookend the full range of Kolkata’s spiritual character.

Hotel drop by 4 pm.

This private Kolkata temples tour is fully inclusive. We take care of hotel pickup and drop in a private air conditioned vehicle, your English speaking cultural guide throughout the day, all entry fees and a traditional Indian lunch.