At that time there lived in Calcutta a rich widow named Rani
Rasmani,
belonging to the sudra caste, and known far and wide not only for her
business ability, courage, and intelligence, but also for her largeness
of heart,
piety, and devotion to God. She was assisted in the management of her
vast
property by her son-in-law Mathur Mohan.
In 1847 the Rani purchased twenty acres of land at Dakshineswar, a
village about four miles north of Calcutta. Here she created a temple
garden
and constructed several temples. Her Ishta, or Chosen Ideal, was the
Divine
Mother, Kali.
The temple garden stands directly on the east bank of the Ganges. The
northern section of the land and a portion to the east contain an
orchard,
flower gardens, and two small reservoirs. The southern section is paved
with
brick and mortar. The visitor arriving by boat ascends the steps of an
imposing
bathing-ghat which leads to the chandni, a roofed terrace, on either
side
of which stand in a row six temples of Siva. East of the terrace and
the
Siva temples is a large court, paved, rectangular in shape, and running
north and south. Two temples stand in the centre of this court, the
larger
one, to the south and facing south, being dedicated to Kali, and the
smaller
one, facing the Ganges, to Radhakanta, that is, Krishna, the Consort of
Radha. Nine domes with spires surmount the temple of Kali, and before
it
stands the spacious natmandir, or music hall, the terrace of which is
sup-
ported by stately pillars. At the northwest and southwest corners of
the
temple compound are two nahabats, or music towers, from which music
flows at different times of day, especially at sunup, noon, and
sundown,
when the worship is performed in the temples. Three sides of the paved
courtyard — all except the west — are lined with rooms set apart for
kitchens,
store-rooms, dining-rooms, and quarters for the temple staff and
guests. The
chamber in the northwest angle, just beyond the last of the Siva
temples,
is of special interest to us; for here Sri Ramakrishna was to spend a
considerable part of his life. To the west of this chamber is a
semicircular porch
overlooking the river. In front of the porch runs a foot-path, north
and
south, and beyond the path is a large garden and, below the garden, the
Ganges. The orchard to the north of the buildings contains the
Panchavati,
the banyan, and the bel-tree, associated with Sri Ramakrishna's
spiritual
practices. Outside and to the north of the temple compound proper is
the
kuthi, or bungalow, used by members of Rani Rasmani's family visiting
the
garden. And north of the temple garden, separated from it by a high
wall,
is a powder-magazine belonging to the British Government.