Gokul Chand Temple, Gokulnagar, West Bengal

Gokul Chand Temple, Gokulnagar, West Bengal

Gokul Chand Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu located in Gokulnagar village in the Joypur CD block in the Bishnupur subdivision of the Bankura district in the state of West Bengal, India. This temple is considered as the largest laterite Pancharatna Temple of Bankura District. 

History

The temple was constructed by King Raghunath Singh I of Bishnupur Kingdom in 1643 CE. However, there is a popular belief that the temple was constructed by King Chandra Malla in 1460 CE. The foundation plaque seen on the southern wall of the temple is illegible at present. Rakhaldas Bandopadhyay of Mohanjodaro fame visited this temple in 1923. He met the then district magistrate of Bankura, briefed him about the temple and requested him to preserve the temple.

Further, he wrote about the temple in a Bengali magazine called Prabashi. The temple was plundered for the stones and bricks for road and house construction. The plunder continued till the Archeological Survey of India took over its maintenance in 1996. The temple complex is protected as monuments of national importance by the central Archaeological Survey of India.

The Temple

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://hindutemples-india.blogspot.com/2024/07/gokul-chand-temple-gokulnagar-temple.html

Festivals

Ras and Dol are the major festivals when the idol of Krishna is brought back from Bishnupur.

Connectivity

The temple is located at about 1 Km from Gokulnagar Railway Station, 3 Kms from Salda, 4 Kms from Joypur, 4 Kms from Joypur Bus Stop, 18 Kms from Kotulpur, 19 Kms from Bishnupur, 52 Kms from Bankura, 122 Kms from Kolkata and 125 Kms from Kolkata Airport. The temple is situated at about 3 Kms from Salda on the Bishnupur to Kotulpur route.

Location