Kalighat :

•Kalighat is a locality of Kolkata, India. One of the oldest

neighbourhoods in South Kolkata, Kalighat is also densely
populated—with a history of cultural intermingling with the
various foreign incursions into the area over time.

•A famous temple Kalighat Kali Temple dedicated to the

goddess Kali is situated in Kalighat. This is one of the 51 Shakti
Peethas. The right toe of Dakshayani is said to have fallen here.
The Shakti here is known as Kalika, while the Bhairava
 is Nakulesh. It is a very famous place and a pilgrimage for 
Shakta (Shiva and Durga/Kali/Shakti worshippers) followers
within the Hindu religion. A lot of devotees come everyday to
worship Goddess Kali but it is found that Saturdays and
Tuesdays are the days when maximum number of devotees turn
up.
 Kalighat temple has references in 15th century texts. The original temple
was a small hut. The present temple was built by the Sabarna Roy
Choudhury family of Barisha in 1809. They offered 595 bighas of land
to the Temple deity so that worship and service could be continued
smoothly. It is believed by some scholars that the name Calcutta was
derived from Kalighata. In the early days traders halted at Kalighat to
pay patronage to the goddess. The temple was initially on the banks of 
Hooghly. The river over a period of time has moved away from the
temple. The temple is now on the banks of a small canal called Adi
Ganga, connecting to Hooghly
 The shrine is revered as a Shakti Peetha by the Shaktism sect of
Hinduism. The mythology of Daksha yaga[3] and Sati's self
immolation is the story behind the origin of Shakti Peethas. Shakti
Peethas are divine seats of Shakti formed due to the falling of body
parts of the corpse of Sati Devi, when Lord Shiva carried it and
wandered throughout Aryavartha in sorrow. There are 51 Shakti
Peeth linking to the 51 alphabets in Sanskrit. Each temple have
shrines for Shakti and Kalabhairava. The name of Shakti here is
Kalika and the Kalabhairava as Nakuleshwar. It is believed that Sati
Devi's Right Toes fell in Kalighat Shrine but as per some puranas
the Mukha khanda or face of devi Sati fell in Kalighat
Kalighat Painting :
 Kalighat painting, or pata (originally pronounced 'pot' in
Bengali) is a style of Indian paintingderives its name from
the place. It is characterised by generously curving figures
of both men and women and an earthy satirical style. It
developed during the nineteenth century in response to the
sudden prosperity brought to Calcutta by the East India
Company trade, whereby many houses including that of
'Prince' Dwarkanath Tagore, grandfather of Rabindranath
Tagore became incredibly wealthy.
 Kalighat paintings were often a joint effort by a group of
artists – usually from the same family. So while some
members ground ingredients to create homemade dyes,
others drew outlines of the figures, filled in the hues, or
added the final touches in the form of motifs and
background designs. These were then typically brought
to be sold in the city.
 This type of painting continues to influence and charm
artists and art lovers in contemporary India. The late
artist Jamini Roy is among some of the most acclaimed
painters who have been influenced by the distinctive
style. Today, Kalighat paintings appear in museums and
galleries across the globe, from the 
Victoria Memorial Hall in Kolkata to the Naprstek
Museum in Prague.