Siddhanath Temple, Dhaliabari, West Bengal

Siddhanath Temple, Dhaliabari, West Bengal

Siddhanath Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located in Dhaliabari Town in the Cooch Behar I CD block in the Cooch Behar Sadar subdivision of the Cooch Behar district in the state of West Bengal, India. This temple is one of the few terracotta temples in Cooch Behar district. The temple is one of the state protected monuments in West Bengal declared by Archaeological Survey of India.

History

The temple was built during the rule of Raja Upendra Narayan (1714-1763) of the Cooch Behar State. Later the temple was extensively renovated during the rule of Raja Harendra Narayan (1780-1839) and his son Raja Shivendra Narayan (1796-1849).

The Temple

The temple follows pancha ratna style of architecture. The temple is about 9.1 metres (30 ft) high and has a square base of 6.4 metres (21 ft). The temple has a square flat roof with curved cornices with four towers at the four corners of the roof, but the larger central tower is missing. The sanctum enshrines the presiding deity, Siddhanath in the form of Linga. It also has an image of Lord Vishnu. The temple has a mihrab, normally found in mosques. There was an attempt made to convert it to a mosque during the short Muslim rule in the 18^th century.

Connectivity

The temple is located at about 6 Kms from Cooch Behar Railway Station, 8 Kms from Cooch Behar Bus Stand, 9 Kms from Cooch Behar, 20 Kms from Dinhata, 32 Kms from Alipurduar and 159 Kms from Jalpaiguri Airport. The temple is situated on Cooch Behar to Dinhata route.

Location