Krishna Chandra Temple, Kalna, West Bengal

Krishna Chandra Temple, Kalna, West Bengal

Krishna Chandra Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu located in Gopal Bari in Kalna Town in Purba Bardhaman District in the Indian state of West Bengal. This temple is considered as one of the five Panchabimsati Ratna temples in West Bengal. The temple is situated on the banks of Hooghly River. The temple is situated to the eastern side of Lalji Temple.

History

The temple was built by King Trilokchand of Bardhaman Raj in memory of his mother Lakshmi Kumari Devi in 1752 CE.

The Temple

The temple is facing towards south and enclosed within the compound wall. This temple follows the Panchabimsati Ratna style of architecture and stands over a raised platform. The Panchabimsati Ratna temple has 25 pinnacles. It consists of three stories with three pinnacles each at the four corners of the first storey (12 pinnacles), two pinnacles each at the four corners of second storey (8 pinnacles), one pinnacle each at the four corners of the of the third storey (4 pinnacles) and a central pinnacle.

There is a dome shaped charchala (four sloped roofs) jagamohana with triple arched entrances in front of the temple. The temple also has three arched entrance on all the other sides. The sanctum enshrines the images of Krishna Chandra and Radha. The façade and the pillar of the temple is elaborately decorated with terracotta ornamentation.

The terracotta ornamentation depicts scenes from Mahabharata & Ramayana, social life, foreign pirate ships, battle scenes, Zamindar on an elephant, Vaishnavas dancing with musical instruments and geometrical patterns. The temple is surrounded by Vijay Vaidyanath Temple on the northern side, Badrinarayan Temple on the western side and Radha Ballav Jew Temple on the eastern side.

Religious Significance

This temple is considered as one of the five Panchabimsati Ratna temples in West Bengal. The temples are;

1.    Krishna Chandra Temple, Kalna

2.    Gopalji Temple, Kalna

3.    Lalji Temple, Kalna

4.    Sridhar Temple, Sonamukhi

5.    Ananda Bhairabi Temple, Sukharia

Connectivity

The temple is located at about 1.5 Kms from Kalna Old Bus Stand, 2.5 Kms from Kalna New Bus Stand and 2.5 Kms from Kalna Railway Station. Kalna is located at about 22 Kms from Pandua, 23 Kms from Boinchi, 26 Kms from Nabadwip, 26 Kms from Ranaghat, 27 Kms from Satgachia, 30 Kms from Krishnanagar, 33 Kms from Memari, 34 Kms from Purbasthali, 44 Kms from Bandel, 59 Kms from Burdwan, 63 Kms from Katwa, 95 Kms from Kolkata and 95 Kms from Kolkata Airport. Ambika Kalna Railway Station is situated on the Bandel – Katwa railway line.

There are many local trains (EMU) and a few express & passenger trains from Howrah and Sealdah Railway Stations. Kalna is well connected to Pandua, Boinchi, Memari, Krishnanagar, Katwa, Bandel, Bardhaman, Purbasthali and Kolkata. The main bus stand is situated beside the STKK Road (SH 6). Many private local and long route express buses are available. There is a Government bus depot operated by South Bengal State Transport Corporation (SBSTC) for long distance buses. Autos and Rickshaws are available for exploring this town. 

Location