NRI [??] Restores Kalighat Goddess to Former Glory

[Guest guest]

big donations are generally associated with NRIs but apparently this

bhakta is a good ole Dilliwala [ Delhi-ite if you please ]... not

that it diminishes his devotion by any amount .. but just FYI

, "Devi Bhakta"

<devi_bhakta> wrote:

> KOLKATA (March 2, 2004): The four hands of idol of Kali at the

> Kalighat temple that has been blessing its devotees from all over

> the world will be shining from Thursday onwards, and literally.

>

> The brass hands will be replaced with gold on Wednesday night,

> donated by a non-resident Indian, from the United States. He,

> however, will not be present for the ceremony.

>

> The NRI, who wishes to remain anonymous, is donating around eight

> kgs of gold for the hands, valued at Rs 50 lakh. He personally

> supervised and got the sheets prepared in the U.S. The sebayets

will

> be receiving the offering on Wednesday and will put it on the

> goddess throughout Wednesday night accompanied by chants and

special

> prayers. The idol with the gold-hands restored will be available

> for 'public darshan' from Thursday morning.

>

> "It is a matter of great sorrow that those four gold-made hands of

> the goddess have been missing for the last 30-35 years," some

temple

> sebayets said. The gold-made hands had been replaced by ones made

of

> brass.

>

> "History has it that the goddess had gold-hands in 1957-58.

However,

> no one actually remembers what happened to the gold-made hands or

> when they had been replaced with brass hands. We have been

agitating

> for this for the last two years, when the goddess herself send us

> this blessing through a devotee who stays abroad. He approached us

> in 2002 with the offer to cover her hands in sheets of gold. It is

a

> miracle send by the goddess herself." said senior member of

> executive committee of sebayets council Ajay Banerjee.

>

> A few other parts of the idol are now of gold, donated by devotees

> at different times.

>

> Source: The Times of India, BY NILANJANA BHOWMICK, TIMES NEWS

NETWORK

> [ TUESDAY, MARCH 02, 2004 09:05:57 PM ]

> URL: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/533036.cms