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In 1847, Rani Rashmoni wanted to go on a long pilgrimage to the sacred Hindu city of Kashi to express her devotions to the Divine Mother. So she planned to travel in 24 boats carrying all the necessities and relatives and servants. According to legend, the night before the pilgrimage began, Rashmoni had a vision of the Divine Mother in the form of goddess Kali in a dream and reportedly said, "There is no need to go to Banaras. Install my statue in a beautiful temple on the banks of the Ganges river and arrange for my worship there. Then I shall manifest myself in the image and accept worship at that place."

Profoundly affected by the dream, Rani immediately looked for and purchased a 30,000-acre plot in the village of Dakhineswar. The large temple complex was built between 1847 and 1855.

Built in the navaratna or nine spires style of Bengal architecture, the three-storeyed south-facing temple has nine spires distributed in upper two storeys, and stands on a high platform with a flight of stairs, overall it measures 46 feet (14 m) square and rises over 100 feet (30 m) high. The garbha griha (sanctum sanctorum) houses an idol of goddess Kali, known as Bhavatarini, standing on the chest of a supine Shiva, and the two idols are placed on a thousand-petaled lotus throne made of silver.