Kali Bari Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Shimla Airport is at Jubbarhatti, 23 km from the city.

• By train

  Shimla station is the terminus of the Kalka-Shimla railway, and Kalka is the nearest broad gauge station.

• By road

  Ordinary and luxury coaches run regularly between Delhi, Chandigarh and Shimla. Interstate buses also run from Delhi, Chandigarh and Jaipur.

Why devotees come here

Kali Bari Temple in Shimla is dedicated to Kali, the slayer of evil. It stands in the city centre, at walking distance from The Mall Road, in Shimla, the state capital of Himachal Pradesh. Since its foundation it has been a prayer house for the town's Hindus.

The temple is dedicated to an incarnation of Kali known as Shyamala. Since its foundation it has been a much visited prayer house for Shimla's Hindus, and the visiting Bengali community also comes here.

Accounts differ on the founding. One gives 1845 and a Bengali brahmin as the builder. Another gives 1823 and Bengali surveyors from Calcutta. The temple trust was formed in 1902.

The temple stands on Bantony Hill in the city centre. Shimla is one of the most popular hill stations in India and the state capital of Himachal Pradesh. The Kalka-Shimla railway line, with 102 tunnels, was built between 1898 and 1903 and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Kalka is the nearest broad gauge station to Shimla.

Festivals

• First day of NavratriNavratri

  Hundreds of devotees visited the temple on the first day of the festival, along with other temples in Shimla.

• During Durga PujaDurga Puja

  A Tribune report calls the Kalibari Puja at Shimla about 100 years old and the state's oldest Durga Puja.

Tips for your visit

• From the temple premises you can see Shri Hanuman Jakhu, Shimla's Old Bus Stand and ARTRAC.
• Annadale, the Railway Board Building and Shimla railway station can also be seen from the temple premises.

Questions people ask