Holy
Pilgrimage – Temples in West
Bengal State
Madanmohan-jiu Temple, West Bengal
Madanmohan-jiu Temple (Bengali: মদনমোহন জীউ মন্দির ) is a temple in Mellock, near Samta in the Indian state of West Bengal and is locally known as Gopaler Mondir (Bengali: গোপালের মন্দির ), which literally means the temple of Gopala.
The temple is a large, beautiful, terracotta ornamented, dilapidated temple of Radha & Madangopal-jiu and was built in 1651 AD by a wrestler, Mukundaprasad Roychoudhury, who was a family member of the Roy Zamindars, who then ruled the village of Samta. It was earlier situated on the banks of the Rupnarayan River but now the river has changed its course. This is one of the largest atchala (roof with 8 slopes) temple in Bengal. Presently, the condition of the temple is derelict, however, the reconstruction has been started at present.
Etymology
'Madanmohan' which also means Lord is another name of Lord Krishna and 'Jiu' is the Bengali alternative of the Hindi word 'Ji', which is used to show respect towards someone. So, the total sum up to mean - "The Temple of The Respected Lord".History
The village of Mellock has a history that dates back centuries. Both the village and the temple are situated on the banks of river Rupnarayan. The temple is in a derelict condition and is under reconstruction and renovation at present ,It was built in 1651 AD by wrestler, Mukundaprasad Roychoudhury. He was very strong and muscular. Then, the road to the temple was connected to the barrage by a small wooden bridge. Mukundaprasad would carry two heavy stone dumbbells in his arms to the temple, crossing the wooden bridge. Neither, did he use to get tired, nor, the wooden bridge use to break. One of the stones is still kept in the campus of the temple.
Architecture and culture
The temple
A temple was built at the site in 1651 AD by Mukundaprasad Roychowdhury, a family mamber of the "Roy Zamnidars" of Samta, however the present structure is derelict. Also known as Gopaler Mondir, the temple is a large, beautiful, terracotta ornamented, dilapidated temple of Radha & Madangopal Jiu (Radha & Krishna). This temple is one of the largest aat-chala (roof with 8 slopes) temple in Bengal. Main entrance with three arches is on the south face. Two additional entrances, one each on the west and east faces.The temple is approximately 40 feet high and is equivalent to a present day 3 storied building. Earlier the river used to flow alongside the temple. Later it changed its course. But, recently the river started eroding the shores, threatening the temple and villages.
The temple has number of sculptures and designs that depict the influence the ideologies and culture of various generations of the Zamindars such as the various generations of the Roys' Zamindars.
Deity
The deity worshipped in the temple is Radha and Madangopal Jiu and the idols are made of shiny black stone. The idol is approximately 1 and a 1/2 feet tall.Festivals
Holi and Dol Yatra celebrations
Local Holi and Dol Yatra is held every year on a Purnima (full-moon day). However, here it is celebrateed a day after the full moon day. On the day of Holi the idol is carried to a nearby house by an ancient wooden palanquin. Special rituals are performed and at evening it is brought back to the temple in a traditional way, in which the road is surrounded by burning bonfires and the people have to make their way and carry their Lord through the road. Aciidents do happen in this kind of festival but no loss of life has been recorded so far.Janmashtami
On the day of Janmashtami also special pujas are held.Transport
Samta (pronounced: Bengali pronunciation: is a small village and a Gram panchayat in the Howrah district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Samta is located between villages like Ghoraghata, Nabasan and Asaria. It is situated on the banks of the Rupnarayan River and is located between Howrah and Kharagpur on the Indian South Eastern Railway and just after the stations of Bagnan and Ghoraghata. It is also the second nearest village to Deulti station, after Mellock.
Temples in Bally, Howrah
Temples
Kalyaneshwar Mandir is a Shiva temple situated in Bally, Howrah, in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is more than 500 years old and is visited by millions of monks & devotees every year. It is surrounded by Kali, Ganesh, Vishnu and Bajrangbali Temples. It is situated at the north-eastern tip of the Howrah district, on the banks of the River Hooghly, across the river from the Dakshineswar Kali Temple and near the Belur Math. The Shiva Lingam allegedly emerged from the earth by itself. The temple was created by villagers more than 500 years ago, sponsored by the Jamindar (local baron) of that time. Legends say that Ramakrishna Dev visited the temple frequently along with his followers from Ramakrishna Mission, including Swami Vivekananda and Swami Brahmananda. This ritual is still followed by the monks of Ramakrishna Mission.Festivals
The famous festivals in this temple are Maha Shivaratri and Charaksankranti.Transportation
Bally is well connected by road and rail. Three major railway lines connect Bally, the Howrah-Barddhaman Main Line, the Howrah-Barddhaman Chord Line and the Sealdah-Dankuni Line. As well as this there is the Five Railway Station's (Ballyghat, Ballyhalt, Bally, Rajchandrapur, Bally Main & Belanagar)(also known as the Calcutta Chord Rail). The historically famed and the nation's prime road artery, the Grand Trunk Road (NH1) also passes through Bally. The town is connected with the northern bank of the Ganges by the Vivekananda Setu (formerly named Bally Bridge) and the Second Vivekananda Bridge has been opened and has been named as Sister Nivedita Bridge. Central Kolkata is 10 km from Bally. Bally has a ferry pier - Bally Ghat. Bally is a suburb of Kolkata. A large part of its population goes to Kolkata for work. Most probably a Paper making mill or factory was started here and the reference of paper made in Bally was mentioned in literature of early period of 19th century.Tarapith, West Bengal
Tarapith is a small temple town near Rampurhat in Birbhum district of the Indian state of West Bengal, known for its Tantric temple and its adjoining cremation grounds where Tantric rites are performed. The Tantric Hindu temple is dedicated to goddess Tara, a fearsome Tantric aspect of the Hindu Divine Mother the chief temples of the Goddess-oriented Shakta sect of Hinduism. Tarapith derives its name from its association as the most important centre of Tara worship and her cult.Tarapith is also famous for Bamakhepa known as the 'mad saint', who worshipped in the temple and resided in the cremation grounds as a mendicant and practised and perfected Yoga and the Tantric art under the tutelage of another famous saint known as the Kailashpathi Baba. Bama Khepa dedicated his entire life to the worship of mother Tara. His ashram is also located close to the temple.
Legend and importance
There are several legends narrated on the origin and importance of this place, all related to the goddess Tara deified in the Tarapith temple. A well-known legend relates to the Shakti Piths. Goddess Sati, the consort of Shiva, felt insulted when her father Daksha did not invite Shiva to the great yagna (fire-sacrifice) he organized. Unable to bear this humiliation, Sati gave up her life by jumping into the yagna fire. Infuriated by this tragic turn of events, Shiva went wild. Then, god Vishnu, in order to pacify Shiva decimated the body of Sati with his discus (Chakra). Sati's body part fell all over the Indian subcontinent. The places where the body parts fell – have become centres of worship of the Goddess in different manifestations. There are 51 such holy temples which are called the Shakti Piths; in West Bengal there are many such Piths namely the Kalighat . and Sage Vasishtha had seen this form and worshipped goddess Sati in the form of Tara. Another legend narrates: Shiva had drunk the poison that had emerged by the churning of the cosmic oceans, to save the universe. To relive him of the intense burning in his throat, Sati – in the form of Tara – breast fed Shiva to relieve him of the effect of poison in his throat. Another local narration is that Vasishtha chose this place for worship of Sati as it was already known as a Tarapith. Among piths, Tarapith is a siddha pith, which grants enlightenment, wisdom, happiness and siddhis ("supernatural powers").Another oral legend about the temple states that sage Vasishtha practised austerities to Tara, but was unsuccessful, so on the advice of a divine voice, he went to meet the Buddha – an Avatar of god Vishnu – in Tibet. Buddha instructed Vasishtha to worship Tara by the left-handed Tantric worship using five forbidden things like wine and meat. During this time, Buddha had a vision of Tarapith as an ideal location for enshrining the image of Tara in a temple there. Buddha advised Vasishtha to go to Tarapith, the abode of Tara. At Tarapith, Vasishtha did penance by reciting Tara mantra (hymn) 300,000 times. Tara was pleased with Vasishtha’s penance and appeared before him. Vasishtha appealed to Tara to appear before him in the form of a mother suckling Shiva on her breast, the form that Buddha had seen in his divine vision. Tara then incarnated herself in that form before Vasishtha and turned into a stone image. Since then Tara is worshipped in the Tarapith temple in the form of a mother suckling Shiva on her breast.
Tarapith (related to Shaktism), Kalighat and Navadvip (related to Vishnu worship) are considered the most important tirthas (holy places with a sacred water body) for Bengali Hindus.
Tarapith temple
The Tara temple in Tarapith steeped in the narrated myths is a medium sized temple in the rural precincts of Bengal. Its fame as a pilgrimage centre with the deity of Tara enshrined in it is due to "the temple’s founding myths, its type of worship (which includes blood offerings), the hymns sung there, the powers of the nearby tank, and the inhabitants and rituals of the adjacent cremation ground".The temple base is thick with thick walls, built of red brick. The superstructure has covered passages with many arches raising to the pinnacle with a spire (shikara). The image of the deity is enshrined under the eaves in the sanctum. There are two Tara images in the sanctum. The stone image of Tara depicted as a mother suckling Shiva – the "primordial image" (seen in the inset of the fierce form of the image of Tara) is camouflaged by a three feet metal image, that the devotee normally seen. It represents Tara in her fiery form with four arms, wearing a garland of skulls and a protruding tongue. Crowned with a silver crown and with flowing hair, the outer image wrapped in a sari and decked in marigold garlands with a silver umbrella over its head. The forehead of the metal image is adorned with red kumkum (vermilion). Priests take a speck of this kumkum and apply it on the foreheads of the devotees as a mark of Tara's blessings. The devotees offer coconuts, bananas and silk saris, and unusually bottles of whisky The primordial image of Tara has been described as a "dramatic Hindu image of Tara’s gentler aspect".
The priests of the temple offer puja (worship) with great reverence to bring out her motherly aspect to the devotees, blending the North Indian fierce depiction of the Sati myth of the goddess with the peaceful motherly visionary form of Tara seen by Buddha and his disciple Vasishtha of the Tantric tradition – the Buddhist Tara form. At Tarapith, though the softer motherly aspect of the fierce goddess is emphasized. Chanting hymns or poems in her praise is also a part of the devotional appeal made to the goddess.
The devotees take a holy bath at the sacred tank adjacent to the temple before entering the temple premises to offer worship and even after the worship. The waters of the tank are said to have healing powers and even restore life to the dead.
Blood sacrifice of goats is the daily norm in the temple. Devotees who offer such goat sacrifices seek blessings from the deity. They bathe the goats in the holy tank near the temple before the sacrifice. They also purify themselves by taking bath in the holy tank before offering worship to the deity. The goat is then tethered to a stake, the designated post in a sand pit, and the neck of the goat butchered with a single stroke by a special sword. A small quantity of the blood of the goat is then collected in a vessel and offered to the deity in the temple. The devotees also smear their forehead with a bit of blood from the pit, as a mark of reverence to the deity.
Cremation ground
The cremation ground, amidst dark forest surroundings, is located on the river side at the end of town limits, away from the village life and practices of the Bengali social order. In Bengal, the cremation ground of Tarapith is also considered integral to the Shakti pith. It is believed that goddess Tara can be seen in shadows drinking blood of goats sacrificed every day at her altar, to satiate her anger and seek favours.Tantric practitioners believe that Tara is attracted to bones and skeletons and the cremation ground is her preferred residence.Goddess Tara's iconographic depictions show her amidst cremation grounds. Tantric practitioners have, therefore, been flocking these grounds for generations for performing their Tantric sadhana (spiritual practice); many Sadhus permanently reside here. The cremation grounds are flowed by the "dread locked ash-smeared sadhus". Sadhus have built their hutments, amidst banyan trees and embellished their huts with red-painted skulls embedded into the mud walls. In addition, calendar pictures of Hindu goddesses, saints of Tarapith and a trishul (trident) decorated with marigold garlands and skulls at the entrance are a common sight in front of the huts. Human as well as animal skulls like those of jackals and vultures – which are unfit for Tantric rites – and snake skins decorate the huts. Good skulls used for worship and for drinking purpose by the Tantrics are cured before use; skulls of virgins and people who have committed suicide are said to be powerful.
Bamakhepa
Temples in Samta, West Bengal
Samta (pronounced: Bengali pronunciation: is a small village and a Gram panchayat in the Howrah district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Samta is located between villages like Ghoraghata, Nabasan and Asaria. It is situated on the banks of the Rupnarayan River and is located between Howrah and Kharagpur on the Indian South Eastern Railway and just after the stations of Bagnan and Ghoraghata. It is also the second nearest village to Deulti station, after Mellock.
emples
Many temples can be found in Samta, but there are mainly two primary and numerous small temples in the village. The main are the Shetola Maa Templa (or, Shitala Maa Temple) and the Madanmohan Jiu Temple.Maa Shitala Temple
The people from the whole village come here and worship the Goddess along with Maa Shashti and Lord Shiva during festivals like Shitala Puja, Durga Puja, Itu Puja, Janmashtami and so on. It is the only temple of Goddess Shitala in Samta and its nearby villages and is the most reputed temple too
The other famous temples are the temple of Lokenath Baba and the temple of Shiva|Lord Shiva at Shibtala (or, Shivatala), a spot in the village of Samta. Local temples are also located in the village but one which needs special attention is the temple of Maa Chandi, which is locally known as Shubho Chandi Tala, which literally means - "The temple of the lucky Chandi". The idol worshiped in this temple is very ancient and was found in the fishing net of a fisherman who was fishing in the Rupnarayan River. It is believed that some thieves stole it and were carrying it in a boat when somehow by some means the boat along with its occupants and this idol sank in the Rupnarayan River. It was found while rescuing their bodies from the river. The idol is kept in a temple under a Ashoka tree, near the barrage.
Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay
Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay (Bengali: শরৎচন্দ্র চট্টোপাধ্যায়)[1] (15 September 1876 – 16 January 1938) was one of the popular Bengali novelists and short story writers of early 20th century.
House of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay
Sarat Chandra was born into poverty in Debanandapur, Hooghly, West Bengal in India but he spent the later years of his lifetime as a novelist here in Samta. His house in Samta is often called by and shown as "Sarat Chandra Kuthi" (Bengali: শরত্চন্দ্র কুঠী) in the map of Samta in Howrah, West Bengal. He used to live in Samta and stay in his house with the fishermen and washer men. So the villagers separated him from the village, as fishermen and washer men were considered to be of low caste. So he along with the houses where he lived with the fishermen and washer men, used to call as a separate village called "Samtaber".Festivals
- Local Dol Yatra is held every year on a Purnima (full-moon day). However the villagers celebrate Holi a day after the full moon day. On the day of Holi the idol from the Gopaler Mondir is carried to a nearby house by a palanquin. There special rituals are performed and at evening it is brought back to the temple in a traditional way. The road is surrounded by burning bonfires. The people have to make their way and carry Gopal by an ancient wooden palanquin through the road surrounded by burning bonfires. Aciidents do happen in this kind of festival but no loss of life has been recorded so far.
- Durga Puja is organised to pay homage to Goddess Durga either by the clubs on the road, by building temporary pandals built by bamboo or it is held in the temples of the village mainly in the Shetola Maa Temple. Sacrifice of animals is still practiced here
- Shitala Puja is held to pay homage to Goddess Shetola only in the Shetola Maa Temple in the whole village. Sacrifice is practised in this festival too.
- Janmashtami is also held in almost all the temples of Krishna in the village.
- Special puja is held on the birth anniversary of Lokenath Baba in the temple of Lokenath Baba.
The annual fair called Sarat Mela is also held in Samta.
Transport
Located near the South Eastern Railway station, Deulti, it is close to the NH 6, also known as Bombay Road. It is about approx. 60 km by rail and 67 km by road from Kolkata. Thus, proximity to Kolkata with good means of connectivity gives this place and added benefit and room for future growth.The local transports exists in the form of rickshaws, rickshaw-vans and trekker (a kind of jeep). Recently, new routes have been started using trekkers from Deulti station to neighbouring villages and railway halts such as Bagnan, Mallock, etc. This has resulted in a significant growth in the number of daily commuters from these areas. People of areas such as Mallock would avail the trekker service to reach the Deulti station and then travel by train. These "Daily passengers" (as referred to in the local parlance) is gradually making Deulti a more happening and busy station.
Santiniketan
Shantiniketan (Bengali: শান্তিনিকেতন Shantiniketôn) is a small town near Bolpur in the Birbhum district of West Bengal, India, approximately 180 kilometres north of Kolkata (formerly Calcutta). It was made famous by Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore, whose vision became what is now a university town (Visva-Bharati University) that attracts thousands of visitors each year.[1] Santiniketan is also a tourist attraction because Rabindranath Tagore wrote many of his literary classics here, and his house is a place of historical importance.
Om Tat Sat
(Continued...)
(My
humble salutations to the great devotees
, wikisources and Pilgrimage tourist guide for the
collection )
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