Nimtala Ghat, Kolkata
Nimtala crematorium or Nimtala burning ghat or Nimtala ghat is a crematory located at Beadon Street, Kolkata. West Bengal.
Nimtala Burning Ghat is one of the oldest in Kolkata, and is believed to be one of the most haunted places around. You can see paranormal sightings here on the night of Kali Puja when the “Shamshaan” Kali is evoked by all in the dark hours of the night. According to a local, on the nights, the “Aghoris” come (their names shouldn’t be said out loud, according to the locals) and they feed on the leftover flesh from the burning pyre and use them to evoke occult powers
The burning ghat came up in 1827. In 2010 the central government of India rejuvenated and upgraded the crematorium which cost₹140 million (US$2.1 million). Rabindranath Tagore was cremated here (north Calcutta burning ghat). There is a Rabindranath Tagore Memorial in the crematorium compound which was beautified in the 2010 project.
Even in a city like Kolkata which prides itself on its intellectual prowess, we can find traces of Black Magic and those who practise it. The Nimtala Ghat in Kolkata, which is supposed to be a place to carry out the last rites according to Hindu rituals of the deceased is one ground of suspicious dark magic activities. In the day it functions as a shamshan ghat or a Hindu cemetery, while during the night it becomes one of the most forbidden places to visit because supposedly Aghoris visit this place on late night hours and eat remaining flesh off the burning pyre and use them to evoke occult powers. The sinister energy of this place is supposed to be further enhanced on nights of Kali Puja, when Shamshan Kali is evoked in late hours of night.
A new burning ghat with eight electric furnaces was inaugurated at Nimtala on Wednesday evening with the promise of making funeral less complicated and quicker.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee inaugurated the new burning ghat, which has come up beside the existing one and will be operational from Thursday. A police outpost has been built in front of the new crematorium.
Metro had on January 8 reported that the eight new furnaces were lying unused since November as the chief minister had not confirmed the inauguration date.
Sources at the Calcutta Municipal Corporation (CMC) said the existing burning ghat at Nimtala had four electric furnaces, of which three are operational and one is kept on standby. A bereaved family often had to wait for hours - as long as four hours at times - for cremation.
"In summer, between 35 and 40 bodies are brought daily on average. During winter, the count varies between 70 and 80," said Atin Ghosh, the mayoral council member in charge of burning ghats.
The authorities hope the eight new furnaces would reduce the waiting period.
The new crematorium has a waiting area for the bereaved, toilets for men and women and a ghat on the Hooghly for family members to perform rituals.
Of the four wooden furnaces at the old burning ghat, two have been modernised and the other two will be upgraded soon.
"The modernisation has halved the cremation time - from four to two hours. The smoke from cremation is treated before being released in the air much above the ground," said a civic official.
With the inauguration of the new crematorium, Nimtala burning ghat becomes the largest in Calcutta. Some civic officials claimed it was the largest in the country, too.
As part of the Nimtala upgrade project, the CMC has renovated the Rabindranath Tagore memorial. The poet was cremated at the Nimtala ghat.
Cremation at the Nimtala ghat started in 1828.
The construction of the new crematorium and the renovation of the Tagore memorial cost Rs 25 crore. The Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India contributed Rs 2.5 crore.
The CMC handed over the maintenance of Sri Sri Ramakrishna Mahasmashan in Cossipore to the Ramakrishna Mission. Sri Ramakrishna was cremated at the Cossipore ghat. "It is apt that the upkeep of the ghat is handed over to the Ramakrishna Mission," Mamata said in the presence of Swami Suhitananda, the general secretary of the Mission.