The temple is known for its unique image of Kali and is a significant pilgrimage site for devotees of the goddess. In the famous artworks produced by the patuas (painters) of Kalighat, who had settled in the neighbourhood in the nineteenth century, we see depictions of the goddess usually housed in the familiar form of the Kalighat temple. The painters settled in the neighbourhood for its attractive commercial opportunities, with the site becoming a major pilgrimage destination for devotees. The temple and its neighbourhood remained a source of inspiration for artists throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

One of these sacred sites is believed to be where the toes of Sati's right foot fell, giving rise to the Kalighat Temple. It is said that the original structure of the temple was established by a devotee named Kalapahad in the fifteenth century. Over time, the temple has been renovated and expanded, becoming one of the most prominent centres of Kali worship in India.

The Kalighat Kali Temple is a classic example of Bengal architecture, characterized by a four-sided building with a truncated dome and a smaller identically-shaped projection capping the domed structure. Each sloping side of the roof is referred to as a ‘chala’, and the temple is designated as a ‘chala temple’. The two roofs bear a total of eight separate faces, and the stacked, hut-like design is common for Bengali temples. The temple's outer walls are decorated with a diamond chessboard pattern of alternating green and black. The unique architecture of the temple, with its distinct Bengali style, makes it a significant cultural and religious landmark in West Bengal.

Originally, the Kali idol consisted solely of her visage, later embellished with gold and silver tongue and hands. Another representation of the goddess, known as Kalika murti, remains secluded within the temple, inaccessible to the public and even the priests. This hidden image, believed to be naturally formed, is considered the self-manifested form of Kalika, originating from one of Sati's toes. Concealed within the pedestal of the main Kali idol, this adirup (eternal form) symbolizes primal power.

Adjacent to the temple stands the Nat-mandir, providing a direct view of the deity. Nearby are two sacrificial altars featuring the murti of Radha-Krishna. In the southeast corner lies the sacred tank, revered for its purifying waters akin to the Ganges, believed to grant the boon of progeny. Two queues form for darshan, one leading to the inner sanctum (Garbha-Graha or Nijo-Mandir), and the other offering darshan from the verandah (Jor-Bangla).

The depiction of Kali in this temple deviates from conventional Bengal styles. Crafted from touchstone by saints Brahmananda Giri and Atmaram Giri, the idol features three large eyes, a gold tongue, and four hands wielding a sword and a severed head. These symbols represent the pursuit of divine knowledge to overcome human ego, essential for attaining enlightenment. The remaining hands extend blessings to devotees, emphasizing spiritual protection and grace.

According to a guidebook published in 1882:

(Before Job Charnock arrived) ‘The temple of Kalighat probably stood for centuries, when the Ganges itself, some miles wide, laved its walls, when human blood streamed on its altars, and when Thugs, before proceeding on their expeditions, made their devoirs to Kali’.
How did this reputation get re-written? As Moodie and other scholars have shown, the patient work of Indian historians, judicial courts, discourses of postcolonial modernity and economically empowered middle-class actors have chipped away at these grotesque representations, even though their narratives of modernisation remain contested by the inhabitants around the temple. The famous Kalighat patuas may not be visible in the neighbourhood anymore, but flower-sellers, image-makers, sweetmeat vendors and priests still throng the neighbourhood, claiming their equal stake to the sacred space of the temple.

Place-making became an essential trope for these acts of reclamation, giving the neighbourhood of Kalighat a special significance in the history of the goddess. Moodie writes, ‘The formulation of Kali lying at the center of a kṣetra is noteworthy given the way in which this term has historically been deployed in Sanskrit literature. As Sontheimer writes, ‘kṣetra literally means ‘field’ or ‘area’ and refers to ‘inhabited, well-settled space with regular plough agriculture’. It is often juxtaposed with the vana or araṇya, which refers to ‘wild space’, ‘forest’ or jungle which harbours the ‘hermitage’, the tribals, the saṃnyasi and the asrama,’ where normal rules of society are not enforced’. The vana is home to cremation grounds where Siva and Kali typically reside. When towns are built, these deities stand at the borderline between vana and kṣetra to protect the kṣetra. Our authors (referring to the Indian historians, including Gaur Das Bysack and Surjyakumar Chattopadhyay) were thus inverting the Brahminical norm. Their kṣetra is not marked by human settlement and agriculture. It is civilized even though it is forested and uninhabited because Kali is present, as are her worshipers.’