108 Shiva Temple, Kalna

The 108 Shiva Temple at Ambika Kalna in West Bengal is a complex of one hundred and eight small Shiva shrines laid out in two concentric circles, built in 1809 by Maharaja Tej Chandra Bahadur of the Burdwan Raj. Known locally as Nava Kailash, its ring plan is unlike anything else in Bengal’s temple architecture — and the lingams of the outer ring are set in alternating white and black stone so that, read around the circle, the colours spell the name of Rama.

Why are there 108 Shiva temples in two circles?

The complex is built as two concentric rings of aatchala (eight-roofed) Bengal shrines. The outer ring holds 74 temples and the inner ring 34, together making the sacred number 108 — the count of beads on a Hindu rosary and a recurring figure in Shaiva worship. Each shrine is a self-contained temple with a single Shivalinga, and the rings open inward so a worshipper standing at the centre can see every doorway at once.

The number 108 ties the site to japa, the repetition of a mantra one hundred and eight times. Pilgrims circle the rings reciting Om Namah Shivaya, completing a full mala of darshan as they pass each shrine.

The hidden name of Rama in the lingams

The cleverest feature is in the stone itself. In the outer circle of 74 shrines, the lingams alternate between white marble and black basalt. Read in sequence around the ring, the alternating colours are said to spell out “Ra” and “Ma” again and again — folding the name of Rama into a temple dedicated to Shiva, a quiet statement of the unity of Bengal’s two great devotional streams. The 34 lingams of the inner ring are all white.

A Burdwan royal commission of 1809

The temple was raised by Maharaja Tej Chandra Bahadur, ruler of the Burdwan Raj, in 1809. Kalna was a riverside seat of the Burdwan kings on the Bhagirathi, and the royal house endowed a cluster of temples here through the 18th and 19th centuries. The 108 Shiva Temple is the most photographed of them, but it belongs to a larger ensemble of Burdwan-era religious building in the town.

Bengal aatchala architecture

Each shrine follows the aatchala form — a curved-cornice roof in two tiers totalling eight slopes, the thatched roofline of rural Bengal rendered in brick. The treatment is plainer here than on the celebrated terracotta temples of Bishnupur; the effect comes from repetition and geometry rather than surface carving. The identical shrines, distinguished only by their lingams, give the courtyard its meditative rhythm.

The wider Kalna temple town

The 108 Shiva Temple faces the Kalna Rajbari complex across the road, where the Pratapeswar, Lalji and Krishna Chandraji temples carry the detailed terracotta panels Bengal is known for. Most visitors take in both on one trip. Kalna’s old quarter is dense enough with shrines that it is sometimes described as a living museum of Bengal temple architecture.

How to reach the 108 Shiva Temple

• By train: Ambika Kalna station sits on the Howrah–Katwa line; the temple is about 2 km away, a short toto (e-rickshaw) ride.
• By road: Kalna is roughly 80 km north of Kolkata, about two to two-and-a-half hours by car.
• Hours & entry: open through the day, entry free; Maha Shivaratri is the main festival, when all 108 shrines are worshipped.

Frequently Asked Questions

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