Blog of Kinjal Bose

Hanseswari Temple

Located about 50 kilometres from Howrah station along the Howrah-Katwa line, is Bansberia. It is close to Tribeni or the confluence of three rivers – Yamuna, Ganga and Saraswati. Bansberia was one of the seven important villages of Saptagram. The other six villages were Kristapur, Basudevpur, Nityanandapur, Sibpur, Sambachora and Baladghati.

Gokulchand Temple

Located just 18 kilometres from Bishnupur stands Gokulchand Temple, the largest stone temple of Bankura district in West Bengal. The temple is located at Gokulnagar, a small village near Salda town.

Century old Kartick Puja of Halder Family

The Kartick Puja of Halder family of 15, Ramanath Kabiraj Lane has reached its centenary this year. It started in the year 1918 by Rakhal Das Halder (1896-1955). The family performs Durga Puja, Kali Puja, Jaggadhatri Puja, Kartick Puja and Saraswati Puja out of which only Goddess Jaggahatri is worshipped in the thakurghar situated upstairs.

Radhakanta Temple, Mondal Temple Lane

The Mondals settled around the banks of Adi Ganga in the modern day Chetla/Tollygunge area. The Mondals constructed many temples along the banks of Adi Ganga. The tallest among the temples there is the Radhakanta Temple of 1, Mondal Temple Lane.

Kali Puja of Halder Bari

The worship of Goddess Kali, it is believed, became popular only in the eighteenth century in Bengal. But the worship of the goddess continued in the households of bonedi families of Calcutta even before the eighteenth century. One such family is the Halder family of Calcutta (now Kolkata).

Durga Puja of Kolkata’s ‘Bonedi’ Families

Durga puja is the greatest festival of the Bengalees. It is celebrated not only as barowari pujas but also in bonedi Bengali households.

Shiva Temples of North Calcutta (Kolkata)

There are a number of Shiv mandir in Kolkata. Some are pretty old. I am concentrating only on the temples of north Kolkata. Today I shall be discussing on three such old Shiva temples of the area.

Adi Ganga

Ganga is a sacred river of India. The lower course of the river was somewhat different from what it is today. At a place near Tribeni (in Hooghly district of West Bengal), the river branched into three waterways – Saraswati (in south west direction), Jamuna (in south east direction) and Hooghly (in the middle).

Ananta Basudev Temple

Located just 48 km from Howrah, in Howrah-Bandel-Katwa line, there is a station called Bansberia in Hooghly district of West Bengal. Bansberia is a municipal town. The town’s importance is religious owing to its proximity to Tribeni, or the confluence of three rivers – Ganga, Jamuna and Saraswati. Bansberia is famous for two temples – Hanseswari Temple and Ananata Basudev Temple. Both of them are located in the same temple complex.

Semaphore Towers

Semaphore (seema – sign and phoros – carrying) telegraphic system conveys information through visual signals using towers with shutters. Signals were transferred from one tower to another by means of telescope. The information is encoded.