Ramna Kali Temple, Dhaka South City Corporation

The history of the Ramna Kali Mandir spans several centuries. According to historical accounts, about 500 years ago, a Hindu saint named Gopal Giri from the Yoshi Math of Badri Narayan arrived in Dhaka and established a monastery known as 'Kathgarh'. Later, likely in the early 17th century, Haricharan Giri built the main temple structure. Other historical documents suggest it was built in the late 16th century by Kedar Ray, the Zamindar of Vikrampur and Sreepur, for his guru. The temple saw significant development in the early 20th century under Rani Bilashmoni Debi, who also patronized the temple's large pool (dighi). Tragically, on March 27, 1971, the Pakistan Army destroyed the temple as part of 'Operation Searchlight' during the Bangladesh Liberation War. They massacred approximately 100 people, including devotees and the temple's priest, Sreemat Swami Paramananda Giri. The temple stood in ruins for decades before being reconstructed with funding assistance from the Indian government.