Pathra, rebirth of the temple town

Pathra

Rebirth of the temple town

Also see: Weekend Family tour of West Midnapore

West Bengal is nothing unknown to temple villages and towns. Towns like Bishnupur and Ambika Kalna are well known temple towns in the state. Pathra, a nondescript village near Midnapore town, is another temple village of the state.

Kalachand Temple Complex

But Pathra is different and what makes Pathra unique is the conservation effort of a single man named Yashin Pathan. Yashin Pathan, now aged almost 70 is a Muslim resident of the Pathra. He took up the mammoth task of protecting the 18th century temples way back in 1970.

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Sat Deul, Towering Brick Temple, Memari, Burdwan District, West Bengal

Sat Deul, Towering Brick Temple

Memari, Burdwan District, West Bengal

Stone has always been in short supply in the vast flood plains of Bengal. Hence the architects had to restore to other substitute. As clay was easily available the burnt clay bricks soon became a good substitute of stone.

Sat Deul, near Memari, Burdwan District

This gave rise to a new form of temple architecture and lead to the construction of elaborately decorated terracotta temples. Terracotta literally means baked earth in Italian but West Bengal has the distinction of housing some of the finest terracotta art in the world.

Sayed Jamaluddin Mosque, Adi Saptagram

Sayed Jamaluddin Mosque

Adi Saptagram, Hooghly District

Adi Saptagram (literally meaning ancient seven villages) is a station on the Howrah – Burdwan Main Line and is the located just beyond Bandel. According to legend the seven sons of the King of Kannuj left their royal life and travelled all the way to Tribeni in Bengal.

Sayed Jamaluddin Mosque, Adi Saptagram

At Tribeni the river Bhagirati, a distributary  of Ganga, distributes into three parts the central is Bhagarati (often refereed to as Ganga). The one on the west is Saraswati and one on the east us Jamuna.

Hanseswari Temple and Ananta Basudev Temple, Bansberia, Hooghly

Hanseswari Temple and Ananta Basudev Temple

Bansberia, Hooghly

The history of Bansberia dates back to the days of Shah Jahan. In 1656, the Mughal emperor appointed Raghab Dattaroy of Patuli as the zamindar of an area that includes the present-day Bansberia. Legend has it that Raghab’s son Rameshwar cleared a bamboo grove to build a fort, inspiring the name Bansberia.

L: Ananta Basudev Temple & R: Hanseswari Temple, Bansberia, Hooghly

Bansberia was also one of the important villages of the Saptagram (a unit of seven villages), an important port town in medieval Bengal. Its importance in pre-Muslim Bengal was religious, owing to its location at the Tribeni or confluence of three rivers.

Kalna Rajbari Complex, Ambika Kalna

An amazing Temple Complex

Ambika Kalna (or simply Kalna) is located 82 km from Kolkata (Howrah) on the Bandel – Katwa line. Located on the west bank of the Bhagirathi, Ambika Kalna once flourished as a prosperous port town.

Panoramic view of Kalna Rajbari Complex

It reached it’s pinnacle of glory during the late 18th century under the patronage of the Maharajas of Bardhaman, who built several magnificent temples with intricate terracotta ornamentation.

Halisahar and Kanchrapara, Temples and Pilgrimage

Halisahar and Kanchrapara

Temples and Pilgrimage

Halisahar is a non – descriptive town on the northern fringes of the North 24 Parganas district. Today it is a busy unplanned and overcrowded industrial town but the history of Halisahar dates back to the pre – Mughal days. The name Halisahar is probably of Islamic origin and is derived from “Haveli Sahar” meaning “City of Palaces.” (Haveli = Palace, Sahar = City)

Baranda Galir Mandir, Halisahar, 24 – Parganas (N)

Sadly the “Havelis” of Halisahar didn’t survive the test of time and have long crumbled into dust. Strangely a small terracotta temple complex have survived the centuries of human neglect and can still be seen today. Halisahar is also the birth place of legendary religious reformer Ramprasad Sen. His Kali Temple, although converted into a modern structure, is the prime attraction of Halisahar.

Bishnupur, Temple Town

Bishnupur

Temple Town

Stone has always been in short supply in the vast flood plains of Bengal. Hence the architects had to restore to other substitute. As clay was easily available the burnt clay bricks soon became a good substitute of stone. This gave rise to a new form of temple architecture and lead to the construction of elaborately decorated terracotta temples.

Scattered Temples of Bishnupur, Bankura, West Bengal

Terracotta literally means baked earth in Italian but West Bengal has the distinction of housing some of the finest terracotta art in the world. The terracotta art reached its pinnacle under the patronage of the Malla Kings of Bishnupur during the seventeenth century.

Maluti, Rebirth of a Temple Town

Maluti

Rebirth of a Temple Town

Located in the Dumka District of Jharkhand the non descriptive village of Maluti houses several temple with intricate art work.

Cluster of Temples, Maluti

Mahisasuramardini on Bengal Terracotta

~ A compilation on Mahisasuramardani panels on Bengal Terracotta Temples ~

See also: Mahabharata on Bengal Terracotta

Mythology presents goddess Durga as the genius of destruction springing into existence on occasion to fight out destroy the evil forces jeopardising the values and virtues of the earth and also posing threats to god’s creation.

Mahisasurmardini, one of the most popular form of goddesses Durga, is described as a slayer of the bull – shaped monster Mahisasur, who challenged the ocean and the Himalayas. Mahishasur is said to be like a roaring cloud and regarded as a Danava and Asura. Mahishasur was like a storm capable of defeating the in battle, till such time goddess caused his slain.

The most popular form of Durga appearing on on Bengal Terracotta Temple is the episode of slaying the buffalo demon (Mahishasur). Durga riding her vehicle, lion is mostly accompanied by her daughters and sons, namely Lakshmi, Saraswati, Kartik and Ganesh.

The Mahisasuramardini motif is common on many of the late medieval brick temples of Bengal, irrespective of the worshiped deity to which the temple belongs.