Silver-faced ‘Bolla’ Kali idol to be installed for year-round viewing

BALURGHAT: Finally there is good tidings for lakhs of devotees of Goddess Bolla Kali. Earlier the idol was available for viewing only for four days in a year during Kali Puja following which the idol used to be immersed. Now the Bolla Kali Puja and Mela Committee has decided to create a silver face resembling the idol of Bolla Kali and consecrate the face in the temple for the devotees who can view the face throughout the year.

The Bolla Kali Puja will take place on Friday, November 22, followed by the idol’s immersion on Monday, marking the end of a four-day celebration in Bolla village of South Dinajpur. Although this annual event grants visitors a rare view of the deity’s idol, countless devotees flock to Bolla Kali Temple throughout the year, only to leave without catching a glimpse of the idol, which is typically revealed only during the festival. To address this longstanding wish of visitors, the committee has nearly completed crafting this silver face, allowing visitors to pay their respects to a representation of the goddess even outside the festival season.

Weighing approximately three-and-a-half kilograms and standing about one-and-a-half feet tall, this silver visage is expected to cost around Rs 4 lakh.

“The silver face will be installed in the temple on an auspicious new moon day. However, an official date for its installation is yet to be determined,” said the manager of the Bolla Puja Committee, Manas Chowdhury. Bolla Kali Temple, an iconic religious landmark of South Dinajpur district, is situated 20 kilometers from Balurghat town along the Balurghat-Malda national highway. The temple’s origins trace back roughly 400 years to local landlord Ballav Chowdhury, whose name inspired the village’s name. Legend has it that a woman had a divine vision instructing her to retrieve a black stone, which she then worshipped as the goddess. Later, landlord Murari Mohan Chowdhury reportedly sought blessings from the goddess to win a legal battle with the East India Company, which he subsequently won. In gratitude, he constructed the Bolla Kali Temple and since then, devotees have gathered annually on the Friday following Ras Purnima for grand celebrations.

During the four-day festival, a fair, the second largest in North Bengal, also takes place, drawing over a million visitors. Pilgrims from various parts of India, including Delhi and Mumbai and even from abroad, attend this fair.