Hindu Temples of India: Panchabimsati Ratna Temples of West Bengal

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Saturday, August 12, 2023

Ananda Bhairabi Temple, Sukharia, West Bengal

Ananda Bhairabi Temple, Sukharia, West Bengal

Ananda Bhairabi Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Goddess Anandamoyee Kali located in Sukharia Village in Hooghly 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 Bhagirathi River.

History

This temple was constructed in 1813 CE by the Zamindar Bireswar Mustafi.

The Temple Complex

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. The temple consists of sanctum with triple arched entrance porch.

The sanctum enshrines an image of Anandamoyee Kali. The façade and the pillar of the temple are elaborately decorated with terracotta ornamentation. The pathway to the main temple is flanked by two parallel rows containing six temples each. Five of the temples on each row follow aatchala style of architecture and the sixth temple in each row follows pancharatna style of architecture.

All the aatchala temples enshrine Shiva Linga in its sanctum. One of the Pancharatna temples enshrines a Shiva Linga and the other enshrines an image of Ganesha. The Radha Kunja, the ancestral palace of the Mustafi family is situated next to this temple complex. This ancestral palace is in ruins. However, the family Durga Puja is still held there.

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 Somra Bazar Railway Station, 2.5 Kms from Balagarh Railway Station, 2.5 Kms from Balagarh Bus Stand, 29 Kms from Kalyani, 54 Kms from Barrackpore, 77 Kms from Kolkata Airport and 78 Kms from Kolkata. The temple is situated on Kolkata to Kalna route.

Location

Sridhar Temple, Sonamukhi, West Bengal

Sridhar Temple, Sonamukhi, West Bengal

Sridhar Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu located in Madani Galli close to Chowrasta in the centre of Sonamukhi Town in Bankura 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 southern banks of Sali River.

History

The temple was constructed in 1845 CE by a rich weaver named Kanai Rudra. The ownership of the temple is currently with the Ganguly family. Sonamukhi has been mentioned as the village of weavers and an important trading centre for cotton, silk and clothes in many manuscripts and historical documents during the British rule. Sonamukhi is named after the local deity Swarnamukhi Devi (Swarna means gold and Mukhi means face).

The Temple

The temple is facing towards west and stands over a raised platform. This temple follows the Panchabimsati Ratna style of architecture. 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. The central pinnacle has collapsed completely.

The temple consists of sanctum with triple arched entrance porch. The sanctum enshrines a Shaligrama image of Lord Sridhar. The façade and the pillar of the temple are elaborately decorated with terracotta ornamentation. The terracotta ornamentation depicts scenes from Mahabharata & Ramayana, Krishna Leela, birth of Lord Brahma from the navel of Lord Vishnu, divine marriage of Lord Shiva and goddess Parvati, Mahishasura Mardini, Puranas, sages, saints, musicians, dancers, social life, foreigners, floral motifs and geometrical patterns.

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 150 metres from Sonamukhi Bazar Bus Stand, 2 Kms from Sonamukhi Railway Station, 31 Kms from Bishnupur, 41 Kms from Durgapur, 42 Kms from Bankura, 55 Kms from Bardhaman and 58 Kms from Durgapur Airport. Sonamukhi is situated on Bankura to Bardhaman route.

Location

Lalji Temple, Kalna, West Bengal

Lalji Temple, Kalna, West Bengal

Lalji Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu located in Kalna Town in Purba Bardhaman District in the Indian state of West Bengal. The temple is considered as the oldest temple in the complex and situated at the front of the first gate of Rajbari complex. 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.

Legends

As per legend, a saint named Lalji took a halt in Kalna seeking alms during his pilgrimage. He had a beautiful idol of Lord Krishna with him. Brajakishori Devi, the wife of Maharaja Jagat Ram of Bardhaman Raj was fascinated with the idol of Lord Krishna and requested the saint to leave the idol with her. Initially, the saint was reluctant to part with his idol but when she proposed a marriage between his idol of Krishna with her idol of Radha, the saint acceded to the proposal. Thus, the idols got married and installed in this temple. Even, the saint Lalji stayed permanently in Kalna and continued his worship of Lord Krishna. The temple came to be called as Lalji Mandir after his death.

History

The temple was built by Raja Kritichand Rai of Bardhaman Raj for his mother Brajakishori Devi in 1739 CE.

The Temple

The temple is facing towards south and enclosed within the compound wall. This temple follows the Panchabimsati Ratna style of architecture. 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) natamandir in front of the temple. Each pillar of the natamandir is elaborately decorated with terracotta figures. The Panchabimsati Ratna temple consists of sanctum and porch with triple arched entrances. The sanctum enshrines the image of Radha and Krishna. Garuda can be found facing towards the sanctum.

The exterior walls of the temple are decorated with rich terracotta ornamentation depicting the Krishna Leela, puranic scenes, hunting scenes and social life of the ancient times. The temple complex also houses the Giri Gobardhan Temple. Three statues of horses can be seen at the entrance of the complex.

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

Gopalji Temple, Kalna, West Bengal

Gopalji Temple, Kalna, West Bengal

Gopalji 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 behind the Siddheshwari Kali Temple.

History

The temple was constructed in 1766 CE by Krishna Chandra Barman of Bardhaman royal family during the reign of the King Trilokchand.

The Temple

The temple is facing towards east 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.

The temple consists of sanctum with triple arched entrance porch and jagamohana. The jagamohana follows charchala (four sloped roofs) style of architecture. The jagamohana is devoid of any terracotta ornamentation and is painted yellow. The sanctum enshrines an image of Gopal. It also enshrines an image of Radha Krishna. The walls, entrance pillars and entrance arches are decorated with terracotta ornamentation. These terracotta ornamentation depicts social lives, floral designs, erotic scenes, hunting scenes and deities from Hindu pantheon.

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 Km from Kalna Old Bus Stand, 2 Kms from Kalna New Bus Stand and 2 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.

Location

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.