5/5 SUBHAM K. 11 months ago on Google
The
centuries-old
Char
Bangla
Mandiralaya
at
Baranagar
is
one
of
the
most
picturesque
and
interesting
temple
complexes
built
in
Bengal.
Located
on
the
bank
of
the
Bhagirathi
River,
this
temple
is
a
short
boat
ride
upstream
from
Azimganj
Sadarghat
on
the
opposite
bank.
This
temple
is
one
of
many
built
by
the
affluent
philanthropist,
Rani
Bhabani
of
Natore.
Popularly
known
as
Queen
of
Natore
or
Natorer
Rani,
Rani
Bhabani
was
one
of
the
wealthiest
zamindars
of
Bengal.
She
oversaw
a
flourishing
estate
which
had
a
staggering
annual
income
in
the
tune
of
1.5
crores
of
which
a
large
part
was
used
to
build
temples,
water
tanks,
dharmashalas
and
educational
institutions.
Rani
Bhabani
had
a
vision
to
make
her
capital
city
of
Baranagar
like
the
ancient
city
of
Varanasi.
She
built
many
temples
with
bathing
ghats
between
1753
to
1760
of
which
very
few
have
survived.
According
to
the
locals,
she
wished
to
build
108
temples
dedicated
to
Lord
Shiva
in
Baranagar.
Some
say,
she
managed
to
build
only
107
while
others
say
she
built
108
but
many
structures
are
sitting
in
the
bottom
of
the
Bhagirathi
River
as
its
course
has
changed
considerably
over
the
decades.
Some
of
the
most
famous
temples
that
have
survived
the
ravages
of
time
are
the
Jor
Bangla
temple
also
known
as
Gangeswar
Temple,
Ek
Bangla
Panchanan
Shiva
Temple,
Bhabaniswar
Temple,
Raj
Rajeswari
Temple
and
of
course,
Char
Bangla
Temple.
The
Char
Bangla
Temple
was
built
in
1755
(1760
according
to
some
locals)
and
each
temple
in
this
cluster
of
four
is
built
in
the
traditional
Bengali
village
hut
style
with
two
sloping
roofs
called
do
chala
or
ek
bangla.
Each
temple
has
a
triple
arched
entrance
with
three
Shiva
Lingas
seated
inside.
Three
temples
with
the
exception
of
the
northern
temple
share
a
platform
which
is
about
1.5
feet
high.
The
northern
temple
stands
on
a
separate
platform
behind
the
kachari
bari
(administrative
wing).
The
northern
and
western
temple
facades
have
richly
decorated
terracotta
work.
The
eastern
temple
has
beautiful
lime
and
mortar
relief
work
with
the
large
scene
of
the
Kurukshetra
taking
centre
stage
above
one
of
the
arches.
The
fourth
temple
has
simple
terracotta
motifs
on
its
walls.
The
northern
temple
has
panels
depicting
scenes
from
the
Puranas,
Ramayana,
Mahabharata,
Krishna
Leela,
different
forms
of
Ma
Shakti,
social
and
rural
life,
damsels,
musicians,
dancers
and
others.
One
of
the
most
remarkable
panels
is
the
one
of
Lord
Shiva
sitting
with
Nandi
with
Bhringi
serving
him.
The
central
arch
in
the
western
temple
shows
Lord
Rama
sitting
on
the
shoulders
of
Lord
Hanuman
battling
the
ten-headed
Ravana.
The
expressions
and
detailing
that
has
gone
into
each
part
of
this
panel
titled
‘Last
Prayer
of
Ravana’
is
spectacular.
Lord
Krishna
and
Radha
Devi,
scenes
from
the
Srimad
Bhagavata
Purana
narrating
the
life
of
Lord
Krishna
and
Durga
Devi
slaying
demons
are
lifelike.
Locals
say
that
when
this
temple
was
built
250
years
ago,
the
Bhagirathi
River
was
a
kilometre
away
but
as
the
years
have
gone
by,
the
current
and
course
of
this
holy
river
has
changed
many
times
and
is
now
barely
10
feet
away
from
the
temple.
The
boundary
wall
has
already
been
damaged
by
the
water
current
and
it
appears
that
the
Bhagirathi
River
is
inching
closer
to
the
temple
every
year.
Though
this
temple
is
protected
by
the
Archaeological
Survey
of
India
(ASI),
a
great
deal
will
need
to
be
done
quickly
to
prevent
the
Bhagirathi
River
from
submerging
this
rare
temple
complex
in
its
unfathomable
waters.
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