KALNA

     Kalna,a well-known town in Burdwan district was developed by the kings of Burdwan in 18th century AD. Situated on the banks of the Ganga, Kalna was a famous port. The kings built several temples here which are now the pride of Bengal & India.

     108 SHIV MANDIR

      Tej Bahadur built this complex of 108 temples of Lord Shiva in 1809. The design is such that the temples are situated in two concentric circles. The outer & inner circle consist of 74 & 34 temples respectively. Each chala-style (Bengal hut) temple houses a SHIVA LINGA, made either of white marble or black stone. A black Linga is in alternation with a white one on the outer ring. The inner ring has only white Lingas.

      If you stand at the centre, you can see all the 34 Lingas of the inner circle at a time. The complex is also called Naba Koilas. It is really awe-inspiring.

                                          PART OF THE OUTER CIRCLE

       PRATAPESWAR SHIV MANDIR

       This terracotta temple was built in mid-19th century.  The architecture is unique.  The whole temple is in the shape of a pinnacle.

       The temple was named after the missing prince of Burdwan royal family, Pratap chand.

PRATAPESWAR SHIV MANDIR

HINGAL GANJ

       Nobody goes to Hingal ganj on vacation.  It is no tourist spot. I went there on Govt. duty. So I couldn't explore much. I didn't visit the forest area. Though it was a brief encounter  , it made me feel that Hingal ganj is enigmatic.


      Hingal ganj , in North 24 Parganas is the island surrounded  & crisscrossed by a network  of rivers.   It lies within the boundaries of the Sundarbans.  The place where I stayed can be called the 'heart of Hingal ganj'. There are high school,market, temples, college etc. Hospital is little away. The road between the school & the playground leads to the market where everything is available, from fishing net to fridge.  The market is on the banks of Yamuna. On the other side is Bangladesh. The mighty river acts as the barbwire between the two countries.


     It's nice to sit on a riverside bench & spend time staring at the motion of  water and, Bangladesh. There is a ghat too. The staircase has extended quite far into the water. Sitting there gives the feeling of sitting on the river with water on all the sides around you !

   
     Hingal ganj shares border with Satkhira district of Bangladesh.  You can spot men on bike, children & ladies doing something on riverbank. We are alike.   We are different.


    Environment of Hingal ganj is characterized by salinity. Ordinary tube wells yields saline water. Mangroves are frequently seen.   Vegetation thickens southwards.  Places like Hemnagar, Samser nagar etc. are under forest cover. There are instances when tiger came out to enter the village.


    Fish-lovers will love Hingal ganj.Variety & taste are awe-inspiring!


    Govt. should take initiative to help  Hingal ganj find a place  in the tourist map.  It has potential.


 

THE GHAT , NEAR HINGAL GANJ MARKET

YAMUNA

MANGROVE

SUNRISE

 


     

BALLAL-ER DHIPI ( MOUND OF BALLAL SEN)

            Bamunpukur can be reached from Mayapur ISKCON temple within half an hour by cycle van. This obscure village in Nadia district bears the testimony of the glorious past of Bengal.


            In the 80s, a mound was excavated in Bamunpukur & a huge brick-architecture was exposed.  It was built long back in 9th century AD. What was the nature of the building at that time could not be determined  by the historians because it underwent renovations over centuries. Finally the building was designed as a temple in 12th century AD when Ballal Sen was the king of Bengal. Today we see the remnants of this temple.  The site has been named after Ballal Sen ( Ballal-er dhipi / mound of Ballal Sen).


           The mound which the temple is situated on is quite  high. A staircase reaches you there & lets you stand in front of ancient Bengal. The sanctum sanctorum was encircled by a corridor, a part of which is still intact. You can today walk down that corridor which used to be walked on minimum 900 years back.  Excavation yielded figures, utensils etc. which are now preserved in Ashutosh Museum of the University of Calcutta.  A  water-outlet, in the form of a crocodile-head is still fitted to the wall.


          A large part of the construction is still underground. Remnants of the fortified boundary wall are there. Now one can hardly come across temple,palace etc. belonging to Pal & Sen era because they have been destroyed by various forces since 12th century.  Ballal-er dhipi is an exception. It took refuge to Earth's womb to survive destruction & now, came out to let us see our unseen past.


         Local trains take little more than 2 hours to reach Krshnanagar from Kolkata. From there buses to Mayapur are available. One has to alight at Bamunpukur stop to visit the mound.   Mayapur can be visited from Nabadwip too, by crossing the mighty Ganga.




               

THE TEMPLE

THE CORRIDOR

            

MUKUTMANI PUR

           Mukutmanipur's claim to fame is water.  India's second biggest earth dam is situated in this hamlet in the hilly parts of Bankura district. The dam was constructed on two rivers, Kangsaboti & Kumari. It was one of the dream projects of then Chief Minister, Dr.Bidhan Chandra Ray.

           The endlessly stretching blue of the reservoir soothes your nerves, frees you from all the hustle & bustle of life ... from yourself.  The dam-top road leads to a hillock where there is a shiva linga . There are some stone-idols also, excavated in the villages. One particular image creates controversy. Local people believe that it's an idol of LORD VISHNU while some hold that it's of Tirthankar Mahaveer. View from this hillock is breath-taking.It's blue everywhere with some mosaics of green. The sky moves downwards to merge with  water.

          4 Km.s away is Ambika nagar. The place is named after Devi Ambika whose temple is near the market. There are also  raas mancha & the temple of tutelar deity of the royal family. King Raicharan Dhabal Dev was involved in the freedom movement. The place Mukutmani pur is named after a queen of this family.

         The adventurous souls must climb down to the rocky riverbed. It will certainly make the adrenal gland overwork!   Standing much below the ground level with rocks everywhere is a wonderful experience.

         Though winter is the best time to visit Mukutmani pur, one should go in spring also.Then the place looks like a canvas, painted by the best painter of the world, Nature.  The trees are set on fire with palash in full bloom. It's ethereal.

         Mukutmani pur is a 7-hour journey by bus from Kolkata. Nearest railhead is Bankura which is 56 Km. away.

RIVER BED

DAM TOP ROAD

   

PALASH

TEMPLE AT THE AMBIKA NAGAR

SUNSET

SHIVA LINGA ON THE HILLOCK

VISHNU, OR MAHAVER ?

MERGER