Built in 1956, Dimapur Kalibari was established to serve the spiritual needs of the growing Hindu population in Dimapur. Over the decades, it has become the central Hindu religious institution in Nagaland, playing a vital role in preserving and promoting Hindu traditions in the predominantly Christian state. The temple was founded in 1956 by a group of local philanthropists, among them J C Das, M M Mazumder and S K Dutta.
Kaloo Dutta, who presided over the temple committee for more than thirty years, is credited with building both the temple structure and its guest house for pilgrims. In 2006 the temple marked its golden jubilee by starting an ambulance service for Dimapur and opening a small library, an expansion reported at the time in the Hindustan Times. Dimapur, where the temple stands, is named from the Dimasa Kachari for river, great and town, and the settlement grew along the Dhansiri.
