Sacred Bengal: Retracing David McCutchion's journey

It took an English man to show us the sublime beauty of our temples in Bengal. Armed with a tripos in modern languages from Cambridge, David McCutchion came to India in the 1950s. While teaching English in Viswa-Bharati in Santiniketan he visited some local terracotta temples and this led to his life long passion about the late medieval temples of Bengal. He travelled extensively in both bengals sometimes on foot and sometimes on cycle and tirelessly documented thousands of beautiful terracotta temples that dot the landscape. He was responsible for helping an entire generation of Bengalis rediscover their heritage. I was intrigued by this story of a Cambridge educated gent scouring the West Bengal and Bangladesh (then East Pakistan) rural landscape through the 1950s/60s till the Naxal unrest and the Bangladesh civil war stopped his ramblings.

Photo Courtesy Prosenjit Koley (c) 

Egged on by a close friend – my engineering college buddy Amit, I decided to trace a part of his journey during this trip to Kolkata From Kolkata the nearest bunch of these late medieval temples are in Hooghly district. We set off one balmy Saturday evening from Kolkata to Chandannagar which would be the base location from where to start our perambulation. It had been raining for the past few days and we were almost on the verge of cancelling our trip but buoyed for encouraging weather forecasts persisted. Sunday morning was crisp with clear azure skies and clear sunlight- ideal for viewing the temples. Our expert –Prasenjit, created a route which factored in the orientation of these temples. We would visit the east and north facing temples in the morning and the west and south facing temples in the second half so the temples are always bathed in light


The route
Chandannagar-->Dwarhatta-->Aatpur-->Kotulpur-->Rajbolhat-->Dasghora-->Senet-->Hooghly town-->Chandanagar The proposed route would take us from the historical French enclave of Chandannagar towards Haripal.


Our first stop would be the village of Dwarhatta. Well known in medieval Bengal as a prosperous village its slide into obscurity began with the influx of European settlements of Serampore, Chandannagar and Bandel. The European towns acted as a magnet for traders and artisans and the ancient village of Dwarhatta scaled back to being a village. On the way we passed through one of largest wholesale banana market of Nasipur which was abuzz with activity with "Chhat" pujo

Banana Market: Nasipur

From Dwarhatta we would go to “Aatpur” another prosperous Hooghly village which has a rich and well documented history going back few centuries. Known for Its later association with Swami Vivekananda’s renunciation along with his 8 Guru Bhai’s have added a further spiritual dimension to Aatpur

Aatpur Village

From Aatpur we would move towards Sitapur to reach the hamlet of Kotulpur. A relatively less prosperous and obscure village Kotulpur is reached through some muslim majority villages. Its temple is in a dilapidated state


From Kotulpur we would travel to Rajbolhat. Its famous for the local “kali” like deity of Rajballavi and also for its association with Dulal Chandra Bhor well known to most Bengalis for his patented “Dulal er Tal michri”

Idol of local deity Rajballavi, Rajbolhat

From Rajbolhat we return through a visit to Dosghora village and Senet. The intention was to conclude our day trip by visiting the magnificient Imambara of Hooghly


1. Raj Rajeswar Temple, Dwarhatta

Raj Rajeswar Temple, Dwarhatta

Built by the Singha Rays in 1728 this temple is dedicated to Vishnu ( Raj Rajeswara)
The Singha Rays trace their ancestry to Rajasthan. They are Rajput Kshatriyas who moved to Bengal in the 1600s most possibly at the same time as the Rathod exodus after the defeat at the battle of Haldighati


The temple is one of the best preserved examples of the "Aatchala" style. The terracotta carvings on the façade are mostly beautifully preserved. The carvings are mostly scenes from the Ramayana, scenes from daily life, Goddess Durga among others. The carvings under the lintel over the triple entrance arch is intricate and beautiful

Raj Rajeswar Temple, Carvings on top of Arch

2. Radha Gobindo Temple, Aatpur


Built by Krishna Ram Mitra, Diwan to Maharaja Tekchand of Burdwan in 1786, this temple is one the largest built in the "Aatchala" temple with an Orissa style "Jagmohan" in front.

Radhagobindo Temple, Aatpur

The whole temple compound has 5 "char chala" shiva temples, a "Ras Mancha" and a "Dol Mancha" in addition to the main temple


Entrance to the main temple compound with a 500+ year old "Bakul" tree on the right of the picture

Entrance to main temple compound, Shiva Temples on the right, foreground



Ras Mancha, Aatpur

The temple carvings are unique as they draw from world history and all religions reflecting "Sarva Dharma Samanyay"

Temple carving showing Anubis on left, Guru Nanak and Kabira

Terracotta carving of Samudragupta playing the veena

"Barsha" work on the edges of the temple walls

Ponkho Polestara


Ponkho polestara work on the ceiling of the Jagmohan is very well preserved, This was an ancient mosaic technique indigenous to Bengal and neighbouring states. The technique used crushed sea shell paste mixed with other items. The patterns were decorated using knives

Ponkho Polestara work on the ceiling of the Jagamohan

3. Jackfruit Wood Temple, Aatpur

Jackfruit Wood temple, Aatpur

This is the oldest surviving medieval wood carved temple, The wood used is that of the jackfruit tree with a traditional thatched Roof




4. Baburam Ghosh's ( Premananda Swamy) House, Aatpur


Baburam Ghosh-better known with his monastic name of Premananda Swamy was one of the nine disciples of Ramakrishna along with Swami Vivekananda.

Baburam Ghosh's house, Aatpur

Baburam Ghosh's house where Swami Vivekananda and his eight Guru Bhai's renounced the material world and became monks

Plaque commemorating the renunciation of Vivekananda and the eight disciples of Ramakrishna

5. Raj Rajeswara Temple, Kotulpur


This was the oldest temple of the day. Built in 1694 by the hazari and Bakulis, the temple is overgrown with weeds and the ceiling has caved in. However the terracotta work and the structural integrity of the façade is miraculously preserved

Raj Rajeswar Temple, Kotulpur

6. Radhagobindo Temple, Rajbolhat


This temple was built in 1738 by the Ghataks

Radhagobindo Temple, Rajbolhat

7. Gopinath Temple, Dasghora


Built in 1703 by the Biswas family this is a great example of the Indo-Islamic Pancharatna style

Gopinath Pancharatna Temple, Dosghora

The Biswas Bari in Dosghora


The Biswas family built a stately home in Dosghora village in the 1700s. It is one of the best preserved old houses in Bengal.

Biswas Bari, Dosghora Village with Dol Mancha

When we reached senet it was dark so we don't have any photos. We also had to drop Hooghly Imambara. Our day trip was complete. The temples had opened up an unknown element of Bengal's architectural heritage


We hope to continue our quest in the near future.


Risks


These temples are faced by three different risks/dangers


1. No repair/restoration causing a slow death


Some of the temples like the beautiful temple at Kotulpur have fallen into disrepair and if no repairs are undertaken it will be lost forever like many other temples which were recorded by David but do not exist anymore.


2. Amateur preservation Efforts


We also saw the damage caused by amateur preservation efforts. For example at the Aatpur temple complex scotchbrite was used to clean some of the terracotta carvings


3. Illegal Plaster casting and stealing


Illegal effort of creating plaster casts of the terracotta carvings have some times irreparably damaged the carvings, In some cases entire carving panels have been removed

Deoriatal - The heaven on earth

Deoriatal is located in Chamoli, a district of Garhwal, in Uttaranchal India. Deoriatal can best be visited between October to December and between March to May. In fact it is a beginners trek and can be clubbed with Kedarnath or Tunganath trek in the Panch Kedar Circuit.

The trek itinerary: Day 1: Rishikesh - Ukhimath by bus or jeep. Day 2: Ukhimath to Sari by jeep and Sari to Deoriatal by trek. Night halt at Deoriatal campsite (tent and food are very well managed by the people of Sari). Day 3: Watch sunrise in Deoriatal. Trek back to Sari. Sari to Ukhimath by jeep. Ukhimath to Rudraprayag by jeep.

Deoriatal is famous for the exotic view of Chowkhamba and its reflection on the Tal. It is said that the Tal's depth can not be measured. Whatever be it, it can be rightly said it is one of the best beginner's trek. The trek may be less tough but the view it offers is mind blowing. It is a true heaven on earth. The attached images were taken by me on October 2005.

Unearthing Rajasthan - part I

Getting introduced!

It was in 2002 that I travelled to Rajasthan for the first time ever. Making use of my summer holidays from graduate school I visited my then boyfriend (now husband) in Jodhpur to spend some glorious days of togetherness. Summer is definitely not the best time to travel to Rajasthan, so I can't tell I was looking forward to that trip. However, nothing daunts me from seeing the unseen (especially my unseen boyfriend for 10 months), and so there I was, tucked behind the rough seat belt of our Indica car, setting off from Delhi on the newly constructed four-lane highway to Jodhpur via Jaipur.

The first half of the road trip was uneventful. It was mostly recent Hindi songs blasting in the car stereo and me dozing off to a much required nap. However, as we approached Jaipur, the monotonous landscape of barren fields changed to a gradual layer of sand. The layers of sand deepened as we moved further into Rajasthan. Within a few hours, Jaipur welcomed us with a view of the majestic fort wall and a hilly windy entrance to the pink city. Since we were in a hurry to reach Jodhpur, we passed through the city toward our destination. From the quick drive through Jaipur, I did not see anything worth writing here. Nonetheless, the imposing Jaipur fort at the entrance left a permanent impression on my mind, and I knew I had to come back to this city to explore it further at some point of time.

We eventually arrived in Jodhpur after another 6 hours. This city is a medium sized district capital, and has a history of its own. After settling down in my guest house, and after getting over the exhaustion of a long journey, I spent a large part of the next few days of my stay in Jodhpur visiting the city hot spots. As much as I loved the fort, the shopping, and the food of Jodhpur, what intrigued me more was the strong presence of the military existing parallely with the flow of history and culture.

The drive out from the Umaid Bhawan palace goes through the army base, and ends in the air force base. The streets in this area are decorated with tanks and flighter planes, dotted with defense patrol posts. I had seen defense bases in other parts of India too, but nowhere else does it merge with the backdrop as much as it does with Jodhpur. The sun-light reflecting from the sandstone buildings and the golden hue of the soil have an amazing effect on the face of the men in uniform. It seems like the overwhelming presence of the forces has perpetuated the Rajputana heritage of the land or vice-versa.

People say that the Rajputs still send at least one of their sons to the military. Over the next few days, I got an opportunity to take a closer look into the "defense world" in Rajasthan. In my next post I will write more about this aspect of the Rajasthani life, which is actually deeply entrenched in its history too. And, has also much to do with the state's current socio-economic dynamics.

To be continued.

Haridwar snapshots

us...

Brahmakund

Serpent Lord

Holy dip

Aarti

Soirée at the gateway to God’s land:

There was a pleasant nip in the autumn morning air of New Delhi, as I arrived from Bhopal in a distinguishably different train, one that was ISO certified, and was also charmingly right on time. Since I was not particularly in the mood of backpacking holiday, the absence of the booked car at the parking lot was a bit of a disappointment. It took me a couple of phone calls, few cups of tea, a reasonable portion of freshly cooked ‘anda bhujia’ to set me off. My first stop to a journey that would take me to the enchanting folds of the great Himalayas was the quintessential holy town of Haridwar.

Haridwar is on the west bank of the Ganges, at the foot of the great Himalayas. Haridwar means “the gateway to Hari” (Lord Vishnu). It is also called Ganga-dwara, because the holy Ganges enters the plains here. This is one of the seven main holy cities in India. Hari­dwar is about 225km northeast of Delhi. It is known as Mayapuri Kshetra in the ‘Puranas’ and is a very ancient town. It is also called Kapilasthan, because it is said that sage Kapila performed penance here. The great sacrifice of Daksha Prajapati took place near here, where Sati burned herself alive. Nearby, at Sapta Sarovara, the Ganges splits into seven streams to please the seven Rishis doing austerities there.

‘Dwar” it certainly is, gateway to the enchanting Himalayas, an all time favourite destination of the Bengali intrepid vacationer as well as the pilgrims. Today Haridwar, a part of Uttaranchal is a holy city with a somewhat discordant population who as I feel is almost at crossroad with the burgeoning Hi-tech India at one side and theirs at the other which is straining to retain the archetypical pilgrimage flavour with its old ‘mahals’, ‘ghats’ and the countless temples and holy shrines. I wander how it feels to have scores of pilgrims from all part of the country crowding your banks everyday, strangers flocking in thousands walking past your house from dawn to dusk and by the look of a sorry state of civic sense of most; one cannot but accept the sad reality of being a center of pilgrimage. As Shukla ji, a gentleman I met, pointed out to me with a wry smile, “Pilgrims return from Haridwar with gallons of holy water but wouldn’t use a drop to wash the mess they leave behind.” and added, “for ‘punnya’ they shower coins but would not spare a rupee for cleaning the ghats”. Although there is sufficient truth in what he said but one also needs to scrutinize the state of the infrastructure provided to the visitors. Usually the Pandas play the all-important role in the life of the city, arranging accommodation and pujas, besides arranging for the sightseeing facilities for their “Yajmans”.

Haridwar is scattered with ashrams and dharamshalas that have mostly been created by religious organizations to cater to the needs of the unending march of the pilgrims. According to the ancient legend and lore, it is here that the ‘yakshas’ and the ‘devas’ had their great darshan of Vishnu. It is here, at Haridwar, the magnificent Ganga after hurrying down from the lofty ridges of the Himalayas spreads out on the luxurious upper Gangetic plains. From early morning till late at night hundreds of pilgrims make their way to the mythical spot of the ‘Brahmakund’ to take a dip and offer their quite prayers. One of the chief attractions of Haridwar is to attend the grand ‘aarti’ on the flood-lit ghats of the Ganga, when charged with emotion the air resounds with the music and the chants.

One thing that seemed to me like a miracle, that there aren’t any separators on the ghats for the privileged and the ‘janta’. One reason could be that this ancient town with its numberless holy spots is still an adorable destination mostly for the faithful and the believer and not so much for the spa and healing seekers. Thank God, at Haridwar, there’s no sulphur spring or a healing spot, which in turn would have invariably taken a toll on the quaint character of this age-old halt. Albeit the ‘havelis’ of big time ‘Lalaji’ s do have their personal verandas leading to the river and are usually used by their family or the people who have access to their generosity. The five main bathing spots that are considered sacred in Haridwar are Gangadwara, Kankhal, Nila Parvata, Bilwa Theertha and Kusavarta. Hari-ki-Pairi, twisted to Har ki Pauri, is the main ghat at Haridwar, which is so named because it is believed that it sports a footprint of Vishnu on a stone in a wall.

I checked in at a hotel with its balcony overlooking the glorious Ganga - recently reduced to almost a fast rivulet. Every year after Diwali, the water of the Canal leading through the various sections of the bathing ghats are checked by dams to clean up the canal and for a couple of weeks Gangaji roars along the main stream parallel to the canal which is known as the ‘Neel Dhara’.

The sprawling ghat in front of the hotel was a busy area with line of shops selling a plethora of items that would attract every section of the visiting tourists. Walking down the paved ghats in the approaching twilight I felt a nice mystical and religious aura in the air. It was a jamboree of salvation seekers carrying on with their activities primarily centered on bathing, puja & the occasional pick and choose at the trinket shops. There was a group of ‘Sadhus’ clustered around their usual ‘dhuni’ the log fire kept alight for the warmth and maybe in pursuant of certain religious chores.

As I sipped a cup of very sweet ‘chaye’ from one of the many mobile tea vendors I realized that it was getting late for the one most important ‘must do’ at Haridwar, checking out the evening “Ganga-Aarti” performed at the steps of main Har-Ki-Pauri Ghat. Priests from all the surrounding temples congregated at the ghat and with their large well-lit hand held aarti-stands perform the age-old ritual of invoking the Godess and singing her praise. Everyday the entire show goes on till the aarti-bhajan lasts.

Hundreds of pilgrims and tourists thronged the entire area to experience the wonderful ceremonious ritual. The waterfront wore a sparkling entourage of lights and ‘diyas’ and the earnest presence of so many devotees made the place come alive with a vibrant demonstration of life, faith and religion. It couldn’t have been any more picturesque with the twilight sky above, wearing shades of gold and vermilion, the silhouettes of blue mountains at a distance fading in the dusk and the rippling river wearing the reflection of a thousand lights that sparkled like diamonds as she jingled along the ‘ghats’. There was a large group of men and women who were evidently from villages of north and central India dressed in their usual lengths of cloth apart from the unmistakable long-shirts and the colorful blouses, were glued to the affair and transfixed in devotion, occasionally distracted by the money-grubbing intervention of the volunteers of the “Ganga Maia ji...Trust, who appeared to me like the ticket collectors in our rickety rural buses swooping down or climbing above through the windows to reach the nonchalant sleepy travelers. It was sights that set my thoughts in motion and appreciate the much bigger and the true characteristic part of my country – the larger nation far flung from the urban arc light. The Aarti came to an end with fervent applause of ‘Ganga Maia Ki Jai’ and the crowd bursting on the edge to either spray the holy water on their head or to take a swift late evening dip.

Garlands of tiny lamps brightly decorated almost all the shrines encircling the ‘Brahmakund’ and at the gates were ‘diyas’, which were specially lit, as it was the beginning of the month leading to the holy festival of ‘Kartik Purnima’. The water was resplendent with tiny flotillas made up of leaf-cups with small flames of camphor rested on flowers. As dusk set in rapidly, even the autumn mist had a part to play, it created very pretty halos around the sodium vapour lights that slowly engulfed the entire area with a dim orange glow only to add to the romance of a thousand years.

It was a glorious evening, the vibrant ‘aarti’, the flowery flotillas carrying small flames glistening like stars as they slowly flowed down the river; The aroma of sweet incense spread across by the ethereal evening air, the “bhajan” accompanied by the rich and deep resounding toll of temple bells pouring in from all direction; Occasional high bass sound of the conch shells and above all, the gathering, whose face wore an unmistakable glow of contentment of what I suppose, was a sense of achievement of being there, just there. As the “aarti” climaxed to a joyous applause, I couldn’t but spot a few damp eyes with their hands folded in prayer and their minds lost in deep wishes.

Once the ‘aarti’ was over the crowd started dissipating across the bridges connecting the banks and also through the narrow ‘gallis’ leading off the ‘ghats’. It was an hour before I started back and by that time the whole area looked quite empty and strangely wary with a few cops strolling around and one or two huddles of ‘sadhus’, although seemed more likely to be beggars, either pecking at their evening spoils or else getting on with the usual rounds of smoking pots. It was as if all the hustle & bustle have succumbed to the night fall and the only other thing left to do was to resign to ones bed and wake up to another joyous day of pilgrimage.

As I walked back, I could not but notice the pundits seated in front of their small shrines just as the ‘panwalas’ do in our cities, perched up on their small box like shops. They were amusingly fast in offering blessings that included a flick of a spoon of ‘charanamrit’ a pinch of Prasad and tying of a short length of sacred thread around the wrist of a devotee. The lightning quick ceremony would off-course end with handing over a few notes on a ‘thali’ in front. A slightly heavier sum prompted an additional minute of mantras along with a nice ‘tilak’ on the forehead. The shops in the ‘gallis’ remain open till about ‘9’ in the evening and the short gap between the two rows on both the sides of the narrow lanes help the place look always crowded and alive with the hum and din of God knows how many languages.

The shops are small but gorgeously designed and illuminated and are bound to attract the visitors or at the least evoke a sense of curiosity. It was an elaborate display of items one could only imagine, from the ‘sindoor’ to imported shampoo and from hi-tech electronic toys to rare (so as claimed) ‘Rudrakhsyas’. Parked between the shops were stalls selling fantastic and mouth watering chats and snacks. There’s no non-vegetarian food available within the city limits of Haridwar but that couldn’t dampen my usual carnivorous spirit as I gorged and thoroughly enjoyed the splendid north and the south Indian delights available at the ‘Chotiwala’, ‘Tewari” and many more.

The delight for the Bengali traveler at Haridwar culminates at the dining pleasure at ‘pice-hotels’ like ‘Dada Boudi’ or ‘Masir Hotel’. The only trouble is to identify the original; I am told that they all serve food as good as the other. It almost stands either as the last reminder of home-food for the ‘Bangali paribar’ setting off to a ‘Char Dham’ pilgrimage or as a welcome delight for the eastern palate while retuning from the hills with an over dose of ‘alu-paratha’ and ‘puri-sabzi’.

It was close to midnight as I ambled back, I spotted a ‘pan-shop’, which was still open and delivered the last innocuous surprise for the day - a pan sweeter than any famed ‘misti’ and called ‘Kalkattai’. By that time I had started feeling sorry that I was leaving Haridwar the next day with a short visit to the Chandi Devi Temple on the top of a hill called the Neel Parvat which is on the other side of the river Ganga and to the Mansa Devi temple located on top of a hill called the Bilwa Parvat. The thought of leaving this dirty & dusty yet enchanting city that completely overwhelmed me left me with a sense of a strange discontentment and a promise to come back and absorb its life and the spiritual vitality that literally hung in the air

No matter what aspect of Haridwar a person sees or participates in, it is a holy spot in this country that has no comparison. There is nothing else in any other pilgrim spot quite like it. You have to be there to believe it or understand the charm and the very Indian heart it represents. Some people may not like it; others may love it. That is typical of India no matter where you go. Yet being in Haridwar is an incredibly varied experience that changes with each day that goes by. For most, a dip in the river, a quite moment at a temple, being lost in the milieu of people and a walk through the ancient ‘gallis’ increases one's faith and connection with the Divine, the Infinite. For some, it helps to establish a stronger connection with one’s root and country. In any case, there is something for everyone at Haridwar. This place offers the advantage of being able to look closely at other doctrines and paths, some of which may foster new ways of thinking, or for others, like me, reassure one of the journeys he or she is already taking.

Penned by Sujit Sen
Kolkata:02/11/2006

The Indian Experience

Incredible, amazing, stunning to the downright revolting, repulsing, adjectives often falls short when it comes to describing the Indian experience.Like the well worn saying " For everything that is true in India the opposite is also true".
The over bearing curiosity of the average Indian on the street can be intrusive and often irritating. Beggars on the street corner, street urchin boys all seem swarm out of no where and descend on the unsuspecting foreigner travelling in India. The streets are crowded, life often spills over into the sidewalks and roads making walking and driving hazardous. Holy cows lazily block busy intersections. The stench of urine and uncleared garbage greet you in many an Indian city. The air is pungent with car exhaust and fumes. The airports are congested and chaotic. Roads are bumpy and often full of pot holes. Touts are omnipresent.

But through the smokescreen of all this haze and discomfort, another truer picture of India can emerge. An India of innovative roadside enterprises, beautiful art and culture, ancient monuments, verdant forests, divine mountains and glimmering seas.

Wilds of Kanha-December 2002

Located right in the heart of India, this forest consisting of virgin meadows and dense woodlands of Sal and Teak, Kanha is also where Kipling dreamt of Mowgli, Bagheera and Shere Khan.There are two places where tourists can stay. Mukki and Kisli. Kisli is more like a busy village. Mukki, where I stayed in my first visit is quieter and closer to the forest.



These photos are taken from our second visit to Kanha. The bus ride to Kisli from Satna railway station was both nerve and bone wrecking. Winter being the dry season it was also dusty. But as we approached the forest, we could feel the air getting cooler and fresher, the animals and birds got shinier. Even the taken for granted crow got a shiny blue-ish black hue. We reached around dusk. After dinner we went out for a walk. It was a moonlight night. We were at the edge of the core reserve and could hear animal and bird calls. The next few days were spend roaming around inside the forest every morning and afternoon on open Jeeps and on elephant back