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In the morning, I took the metro south to visit the Kali Temple. The desk clerk had told me that the temple was close to the metro exit and would be easy to find.
India 2002 - Part Five: Calcutta
Dougburnett2003-11-24 12:23:15
Displayed times (last time: )
Calcutta, Monday, February 18
In the morning, I took the metro south to visit the Kali Temple. The desk clerk had told me that the temple was close to the metro exit and would be easy to find. In fact, as soon as I got up to street level, I started seeing signs showing the way. Also, just about everyone I met pointed and said, "Temple." It seems that tourist only come to this neighborhood to visit the Kali Temple.
The street was lined with mildewed, multi-story buildings that looked like apartments. Shops filled the lower level and the sidewalks were crowded with vendors selling food and clothing. Pedestrians pushed past me and cars and trucks honked in the streets.
As I got close, there was no missing the temple. The crowd thickened and all the vendors were selling religious items. There were also the usual line of beggars and would-be guides. The actual entrance to the temple was small and hard to see, but many people pointed it out to me.
The temple grounds were quite small and crowded. Along the outside walls were more vendors, this time selling flowers, and more beggars with outreached hands. People stopped to tell me I could visit the temple and pointed to a line that snaked around and up a ramp leading to the temple. I took a look at the crowd and decided it wasn't for me. I just walked around taking pictures and talking to people.
Finally, I had enough of the noise and crowd and headed back to the street where I bought a few souvenirs. Since I was still carrying the post cards I got in Bijapur, I decided to try and find a post office to mail them. I started asking people and finally I found one several blocks away. Inside, one of the patrons was kind enough to point me to the stamp counter and then to show me how to glue them on. Much to my surprise the stamps didn't come with glue already on them, but instead I had to use a little pot
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See photographs from:
India Gallery
