Kolkata – Page 2 – Blog of Kinjal Bose

Nabaratna Kali Mandir, Balaram Ghosh Street, Kolkata

A nabaratna temple dedicated to Goddess Bhabatarini along with two aatchala Shiva temples of 2/2A, Balaram Ghosh Street in North Kolkata deserves mention. It is a Grade – I heritage structure as per Kolkata Municipal Corporation’s “Graded List of Heritage Buildings”.

Bally Bridge

Willingdon Bridge or more popularly known as Bally Bridge (now called Vivekananda Setu) will be celebrating its 90th birthday today. The bridge was inagurated by the then Viceroy of India Marquess of Willingdon on 29th December, 1931. A stone plaque commemorating the event is found at the Dakshineswar side of the bridge, though the condition of the same is not in a good state.

Greek Orthodox Church, Kolkata

Greek Orthodox Church of 2A, Library Road, Kolkata – 700026 is a Grade I heritage building under Kolkata Muncipal Corporation. This church is comparatively new compared to the other churches of the city of Calcutta (now Kolkata). The foundation stone was laid on 3rd November,1924; and the first prayer was held about a year later on 19th November, 1925.

Rash festival of Choto Rasbari

When we speak of Rasyatra (Rash festival), we think of the full moon which normally falls in the month of November (Kartick purnima) after Lakshmi Puja. That Rashyatra is celebrated in different parts of the state and also in Kolkata. It is a three day festival and on each day, normally at night the idols of Radha Krishna are taken from the temple to the rasmancha where rasmancha exists. Fairs are also held in some areas like Khardaha, Belur, Cossipore, to name a few.

Noku Babu’s grand collection

There are so many old things in this city which is difficult to see in one place. If you want to see those antique items in one place or in one room, meet Shri Sushil Kumar Chatterjee popularly known as Noku Babu, a nonagenarian residing at North Calcutta (now Kolkata) whose grand collection will easily startle you.

Durga Puja of Jorasanka Dawn Bari

Durga Puja is the greatest festival of the Bengalees. It is celebrated not only in barowari puja pandals but also in many bonedi households of Bengal. In Calcutta, (now Kolkata) it is held in many houses with much pomp and splendour maintaining all the age-old rituals and customs. One such house is Jorasanko Dawn Bari of 12A, Shibkrishna Dawn Lane where the puja is being held since 1840.

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.

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.

Bhukailash Temple, Khidirpur

Situated in Khidirpur, in Ward No 79 of Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) Bhukailash Rajbari is a prominent place where one will witness two big aatchala Shiva temples – Raktakamaleswar and Krishnachandreswar standing there from 1780 onwards and which have archaeological, architectural and historical significance. The temples along with the thakurbari including gateway of Bhukailash Rajbari is a Grade-I Heritage of the KMC.

Tulsimancha

Manchas are of three types – rasmancha, dolmancha and tulsimancha. In my previous blog posts I have written about Rasmancha and Dolmancha. Today I will concentrate on tulsimancha. Of the three manchas, tulsimancha is the smallest and is mainly found in domestic households and also in many temples of West Bengal. A tulsimancha is built centering a tulsi tree.

Dochala Siva Temple

There are a very large number of Siva temples in Kolkata; of which some are pretty old and each follows a distinct temple architecture. Bagbazar situated towards the north of Kolkata has a number of temples of which one temple on the eastern pavement of Kshirode Vidyavinode Avenue drew my attention. This temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva.

Cossipore Rasbati

Cossipore had a number of old temples and heritage places which dates back to history. Being a frequent visitor there I found a very old rasmancha inside a math (open space) at Ratan Babu Road. This structure aroused my interest and that actually led me to visit there to trace its history. On one of my visit to the nearby Baranagar, I met respected Late Ajit Sen, and from his books, I gathered some information about this Rasbati.

Rasmancha

Manchas are of three types – rasmancha, dolmancha and tulsimancha. A rasmancha (a temple-like structure generally octagonal in shape with the sides open and situated on a raised-platform) is the largest among the three. It was very common in the nineteenth century Bengal. The rasmancha is normally smaller in size than the main temple where the Radha Krishna deities reside throughout the year. The main purpose of building the rasmancha is to enable the people to witness the deities (here Radha Krishna) from all the sides on a special occasion (Rashyatra).