Kolkata is home to a vibrant community of over 2,000 Chinese individuals who have made the city their residence for decades. This close-knit group has diligently preserved their culture and heritage while leaving their mark in various industries, including tanneries, beauty salons, shoemaking, and restaurants. Over the years of cultural exchange, many have adopted local habits, customs, and even religious beliefs, leading to the establishment of a Chinese Kali temple in Kolkata, where Goddess Kali is one of the principal deities.
Located in Tangra, India’s only Chinatown, the temple is surrounded by numerous exotic Chinese eateries that illuminate the otherwise dimly lit lanes. It serves as a bridge between the increasingly dwindling Chinese community and the local populace, who typically have little interaction with each other.
Alongside the Chinese community, local Bengali residents frequently visit the temple to pray to the goddess, who is offered unique 'prasad' (food presented to Hindu gods during rituals) in the form of Chinese dishes such as noodles and chop suey.
A Bengali priest conducts religious rituals at the temple every morning and evening, as noted by Ison Chen, a Buddhist Chinese individual who has managed the temple for the past two decades.
The temple was established in 1998, funded generously by both the Chinese and Bengali communities. It was built around two granite stones that had been venerated by local Hindus for over fifty years, under a tree.
A fascinating story, part truth and part myth, surrounds the temple's origin. According to the tale, a ten-year-old Chinese boy fell gravely ill and was cured only after his parents prayed by the tree for several nights, seeking divine help for his recovery. As a result of the boy’s healing, the site became a pilgrimage destination for the Chinese community—most of whom are Buddhists, with some identifying as Christians—who joined their Bengali counterparts in constructing the temple, as Chen recounts.
The two black stones remain within the granite-walled temple, which houses two idols of Goddess Kali, as well as an idol of Lord Shiva, her consort.
The rituals observed here blend Hindu and Chinese traditions. While hymns and proceedings follow Hindu customs, devotees also light tall candles and Chinese incense sticks. In a nod to Chinese practices, handmade paper is burned to ward off evil spirits.
India has welcomed the Chinese since the time of scholars Fa Hien (4th century) and Huen Tsang (7th century), but it was only in the 1700s that significant numbers began to settle in and around Kolkata.
The initial Chinese settlers were runaway sailors and indentured servants who took on odd jobs while waiting for ships to take them elsewhere. Eventually, many abandoned their seafaring lifestyles to make Kolkata their permanent home.
Tangra emerged as Chinatown after 1910 when the Chinese established tanneries in the area. The Chinese population grew during the 1920s and 1930s, as many men found work in tea gardens and brought their families. However, over the years, their numbers have significantly declined, as younger generations seek better opportunities abroad, leaving primarily the older generation to uphold a unique cultural legacy that may gradually fade away.