Blog of Kinjal Bose

Durga Puja of Baral family

I have come across a number of houses in Howrah who are celebrating Durga Puja in a grand way and some of them are pretty old. Last year, I was invited to a family Durga Puja organised by the Barals at 75, Raj Ballav Saha Lane, Howrah – 711101. Though comparatively a new puja, the striking thing here is the idol of Maa Durga which drew my attention.

Chariot of Rautara

Rautara, a village in Amta II block of Howrah district about 57 kilometres from Kolkata can be reached in just less than two hours time. The village has a number of terracotta temples of which Damodar Temple of Sarkarpara deserves mention. The south-facing barochala (twelve roofed) temple has an adjoining nahabatkhana, an aatchala dolmancha and an octagonal rasmancha in the same compound.

Baro Rasbari

Baro Rasbari of 78, Tollygunge Road, Kolkata comprises of two complex – twelve Shiva temples and a pancharatna (five pinnacled) temple arranaged on three sides of an open courtyard and the other is a big aatchala (eight roofed) temple of Bengal’s temple architecture.

Nandadulal Temple, Chandernagore

Chandernagore, a former French colony, had a number of temples of which Nandadulal Jiu Mandir at Durga Charan Rakshit Road deserves mention. The temple is unique in the sense that it is one of the finest specimen of do chala (double sloped roof) mandir of Bengal’s temple architecture.

Kalidas Chatuspathi, Chandernagore

Chandernagore, a muncipal town in Hooghly district is about 33 kilometres from Howrah station. It can be reached by both road and rail. This town was a former French colony.

Siddheswari Kalibari, Baghbazar

Calcutta, (now Kolkata) has a number of Kali temples. Some of them are pretty old. The temples are scattered throughout the metropolis. One such temple is situated at 512, Rabindra Sarani, Kolkata – 700005 popularly known as Siddheswari Kalibari. Many of us have seen the temple and also Maa Siddheswari.

Rathayatra of Choto Rashbari

Rathyatra is a major festival and it is celebrated in many areas of West Bengal. They are also celebrated in many bonedi households and in many temples, some of which are pretty old. In many houses, this festival also marks the beginning of kathamo puja of Goddess Durga.

Abandoned Temple of Radha Gobinda

Baro Rasbari of 78, Tollygunge Road, Kolkata consists of two temple complexes – eleven aatchala Shiv Mandir together with a pancharatna temple in one big courtyard completed in the second decade of the nineteenth century and a big aatchala temple dedicated to Madan Mohan completed in 1834. The entire temple complex of Baro Rasbari is a Grade – I heritage structure. It finds mention in the Graded List of Heritage Buildings (Volume XI) of Kolkata Muncipal Corporation.

Rathyatra in Amadpur

The village of Amadpur in Purba Bardhaman district of West Bengal is well known for Rathayatra or chariot festival.

Radha Madhav Temple, Amadpur

Amadpur, a village in Memari – I block of Purba Barddhaman district has a number of terracotta temples of which Radha Madhav Temple deserves mention.

Madan Gopal Temple, Amadpur, Purba Bardhaman

Amadpur, a village in Memari – I block of Bardhaman Sadar South subdivision offers a unique collection of terracotta temples of varying shapes and sizes.

Temples in and around Joypur, Bankura

Bishnupur in Bankura district of West Bengal is famous for terracotta temples. But the temples of Joypur roughly 16 kilometers away has slipped into oblivion. The most prominent temple – Gokulchand Temple (an ASI protected monument) of Gokulnagar deserves mention. It is the largest laterite stone temple of the district.

Temples of Jhikira, Howrah

This year in February I had been to the village of Jhikira in Amta II block of Howrah district to witness the terracotta temples of the region. After visiting the temples of Rautara, I crossed the road and came to the other side. I had to walk through the village road in search of temples. This area has a number of temples and according to David McCutchion “the temples of Howrah are an extension of those predominating in the adjoining district of Hooghly”.

Rathayatra in Akshay Tritiya at Telinipara, Bhardreswar, Hooghly

Bhadreswar, a municipal town of Hooghly district of West Bengal can be reached both by road and rail. It is roughly forty minutes from Howrah by train in the Howrah-Bandel section of Eastern Railway. This industrial town finds mention in Bipradas’ Manasamangal. During the medieval times this area was a renowned seat of Sanskrit learning.

Rathayatra of Dasghara

Hooghly district of West Bengal is famous for Rathayatra – Mahesh in Serampore, Guptipara and Dasghara to name a few. Last year I was pretty lucky to visit Dasghara in the afternoon. It was a very hot and humid day. I took a train from Howrah and reached Tarakeswar at about quarter to two in the afternoon. Then I went to the bus stand and boarded a bus going to Dasghara. I sat by the window and when the bus started, I found after some time the landscape changed from urban to rural. Yes, we are leaving the temple town of Tarakeswar. The bus was more or less packed; but nobody was standing. After some thirty minutes I got down at Bazaar para and started walking towards my destination.