The heart of this vibrant riverside complex is a cream-and-red 1847 Kali Temple shaped like an Indian Sacré-Coeur. The site is where Ramakrishna started his remarkable spiritual journey, and his small room in the outer northwest corner of the temple precinct is now a place of special meditative reverence. No photos, deposit shoes outside complex.
Several daily suburban trains from Sealdah run to Dakshineswar station (₹5, 20 minutes), 400m south of the temple. A metro extension is due to reach the same point by 2017, but for now you can either take painfully slow DN9/1 from Dum Dum metro. Or from the southwest side of Noapara metro, take an auto to Dunlop (₹10, a convoluted 15 minutes) then cross under the curling overpass and take bus 79 for five minutes. Hourly ferries from almost under the old Dakshineswar Bridge run to Belur Math (₹10). From around 200m further north, uncovered small boats do the same route much more frequently, but you'll have to sit cross legged in the sun (or rain), squashed with two dozen others for nearly half an hour. Bring a hat or umbrella.
