Begunbari Kali Temple

Begunbari Kali Temple stands in Begunbari village in the Panskura block of Purba Medinipur, near Khirai railway station and on the west bank of the Kangsabati River. The presiding deity is Sashan Kali, a form of the goddess Kali.

Folklore traces the worship to two brothers of the Bagdi community, Hinu Dung and Dinu Dung, poor wrestlers in the service of King Rajnarayan Roy (1756–1770). When cholera spread through the area and both fell ill, they prayed to Kali and vowed to worship her, and they recovered. Too poor to build a temple, they turned to robbery to keep their vow, and a ritual robbery is still staged before the puja in their memory. The first worship was held in a brinjal garden, or begunbari, which later gave the whole village its name. The original temple was destroyed and has been replaced by a copy of the Dakshineswar Kali Temple. A June fair, Jyoisho Utsob, brings stalls selling Sabang mats, toys, food and household goods.