AMBIKA KALNA: WEST BENGAL

A jewel in hiding

The rich terracotta temple architecture in this small town of West Bengal is to be seen to be believed. From the Orissan rekh-deul form of architecture to the rare 25-turret temple to the unique 108 Shiva temple, that fuses the Shaivite world view with indigenous Bengal architecture, the diversity is amazing and awe-inspiring.

Text: AMITANGSHU ACHARYA
Photographs: AMITANGSHU ACHARYA & SUSHMITA MANDAL

 

The railway line that connects Kolkata to Nabadweep, the birthplace of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu where Iskcon devotees flock to, stops at a quaint station by the name of Ambika Kalna. Located between two popular tourist destinations, the railway station’s appearance hardly generates excitement. The station, packed with aggressive commuters and hawkers, shields the view of a lush green landscape from the rusted windows of the compartment. It is this chaos and the struggle of everyday life that masks the splendour of Bengal’s illustrious temple town and relegate it to the yellowed pages of regional history books.

Ambika Kalna is a sub-divisional town in West Bengal’s Bardhaman district. Its name is derived from Ambika, another name for Goddess Kali, the guardian deity of the town. However, such naming is but recent, as Ambika historically used to be Ambua. Local historians are yet to ascertain what Ambua actually meant. Some believe it was because of Kalna’s famed mango (aam) orchards, others link it to its land being claimed from the river. Located on the banks of the River Bhagirathi, a distributary of the Ganges, Kalna was productive centre for trade and agriculture. Its earliest recorded mention takes place in the writings of General Alexander Cunningham, the founder of the Archaeological Survey of India. Cunningham believed that Ambua Kalna was a frontier city of the Tamralipta Kingdom in 7th Century AD. The kingdom’s famous port city (now Tamluk in Midnapore District, West Bengal) was visited by the famous Chinese traveller and scholar Fa-Hien who spend two years visiting and writing about the Buddhist monasteries in the region.
Kalna’s final tryst with royalty was with the Maharajas of Bardhaman. They ruled lower Bengal under the royal decree of the Mughal Empire, then the Nawabs of Bengal and finally the British. It’s interesting to note that one of the longest serving kingdoms in the heart of Bengal was actually established by a Punjabi nobleman from Lahore, a fact that would irk many a staunch Bengali. The political establishment of the Bardhaman (anglicised into Burdwan) kingship led to renewed interest in Kalna – not only as a centre of trade and commerce, but also for etching the religious beliefs of the royal family into the landscape through large scale construction of temples.

These temples, some in ruins, some intact and mostly being renovated, form a cluster as commonly seen in other places in West Bengal such as Bardhaman, Bishnupur and also in Aihole and Pattadakal in North Karnataka. Reaching the cluster requires dexterous manoeuvring through Kalna’s congested and serpentine lanes. Very little respect is reserved for vehicles on four wheels, which are seen as public nuisance. However, no stone is left unturned to make it convenient for huge four-legged bulls and cows to amble their way through a sea of bicycles and cycle rickshaws. The latter is the best way to travel through the town as it is the principal mean of public transport.

Temples in Kalna were largely constructed between 1740 and 1809 AD. Packed within its history of 69 years are political intrigue and religious developments. The starting point of unravelling the history of ‘temple town’ is to take the narrow road to the Siddeshwari Temple. The resident deity of Kalna, Siddeshwari or Bamakali is worshipped at a temple that was built in 1740 by King Chitra Sen of Bardhaman. The 15-feet tall deity, made out of neem (Azadirachta indica) wood however is claimed to have been established earlier, approximately in the 16th century. As one approaches the main entrance, the first thing that strikes is a bizarre assemblage of colours. The vermillion red wall of the entrance is further embellished with dashes of turmeric yellow and bright blue. A long string of shops selling items for worship squeezes the entrance from both sides. Bright yellow and orange marigolds and blood-red hibiscus dangle from these makeshift shops. The air, scented with the aroma of flowers and incense, sanctifies the temple precinct and makes it stand out from the surrounding din and squalor.

The temple, draped in an earthy red paint, looks like a typical rural thatched house. The sensuous curves that typify most Bengal temple architecture, though significantly muted, is still present. What are lost are the intricate terracotta panels that once adorned its walls. ‘Terracotta’, literally ‘baked earth’ was the predominant technique available to Indian sculptors to decorate temples in lowland Eastern India. Deprived of stone, they used their ingenuity and harnessed the rich alluvial clay on river banks.
By creating panels out of clay, they achieved exquisite detail. Firing them in a kiln helped achieve
permanence.

Repeated coats of red paint have made it impossible to visualise the scale of artistry at the Siddeshwari Temple. Beneath the red veneer, some bold panels still try to peek out, reminding onlookers of its illustrious past. The deity is highly venerated, and is said to make wishes of ardent worshippers come true. As I prepare to leave the temple premises, a young couple, dressed in wedding finery, walks in to solemnise their marriage vows in front of the goddess.

Within walking distance from the Siddeshwari Temple is the Ananta Vasudeva Temple, established by Maharaja Tilak Chandra in 1754 AD. This large temple was constructed in the double ‘aatchaala’ style. Chaala being thatched roof and aat meaning eight, the temple has the dimensions of a 16-roofed building – with a height of 48 feet, it was a significant feat in those times. The scale of the Ananta Vasudeva temple is indicative of the stature of its founder. Maharaja Tilak Chandra, now lost in the pages of history, was an able administrator. In 1755, aware of the double dealings of the British East India Company, he shut down many of the Company’s warehouses within his zamindari. Such achievements are parallel to the Imperial Commissioner Lin Zexu – now celebrated in the Amitava Ghosh’s classic The River of Smoke – who attempted to shut down opium smuggling by European traders in Canton in 1838. Later in 1755, when Lord Clive marched on to Palashi (anglicised as Plassey) to fight Sirajuddaullah, the last Nawab of Bengal, he requested assistance of a thousand cavalry from Tilak Chandra. This was flatly refused.

This refusal proved costly for Tilak Chandra, as after Sirajuddaullah’s defeat, he was taken to task for his stand against the British. This turn of fate made Tilak Chandra’s move towards spirituality and he devoted much of his time in worship and in construction of temples. However, pushed against the wall by the Company’s punitive taxation on his zamindari, he finally took up arms against the British in 1860 but was defeated. His reign witnessed the construction of seven large temples and 10-12 smaller temples.

Moving on from the Ananta Vasudeva temple, the road to the busy Chowk Bazaar area automatically leads to Kalna’s main attraction. The temple complex located next to the Rajbari (i.e., palace), with is manicured gardens and lawns has an immediate impact on entry. The first one that greets the eye is the exquisite Pratapeshwar Temple, considered to be one of the best examples of the 19th century Orissan ‘rekh-deul’ form of temple architecture. Rekh, a term used to describe temple architecture in Orissa between 11th and 12th century, implies a single arched entrance with a curvilinear sikhara (spire). Deul stands for temple. Constructed on a raised platform, the Pratapeshwar temple, named after King Pratap Chand and established in 1849, is unique – almost 90 per cent of its terracotta panels are left intact. Though the smallest of all the temples in the complex, it has the most to offer. An entire day can zip past progressing from one panel to the other, reconstructing life and times in 19th century Bengal. Little is known about the master builder Ramhari Mistry, except that he left behind a jewel in the crown of Bengal temple architecture.
If the Pratapeshwar Temple impresses with its exquisiteness and depth in detail, the other two temples in the complex makes an impact with their grandeur. Lalji Temple, located at the far end of the entrance to the temple complex, and Krishnachandraji Temple, on the extreme right, have their own architectural claim to fame. Both these temples belong to a list of unique 25 turret temples, of which only five exist in India. While Pratapeshwar Temple was largely influenced by the Orissa style of temple architecture, Lalji, Krishnachandraji and Ananta Vasudeva and Siddeshwari temples are examples of the indigenous turn in temple building in Bengal. While the latter were modelled as thatched village huts, i.e., chaala, in the case of Lalji and Krishnachandraji Temples, it was based on the ‘chuda’ style which involved adding intricately decorated turrets on the roofs.

Lalji Temple, established in 1739 by Braja Kishori Devi, the wife of Maharaja Jagat Ram, has a hall of attendance, or jagmohan, in front of it. A bright yellow Garuda with chilly green wings is sculpted on a high pedestal facing the main deities, Radha and Krishna. Though most of the terracotta panels on Lalji temple are lost to time, those which exist still have the power to amaze. The corner columns outside the temple have detailed sculpture of scenes from hunts while miniature panels which surround the base of the temple, depict scenes from the Puranas. Though in terms of architecture, the triple-arched Krishnachandriji Temple makes quite an impact, sadly, the terracotta decorations that once adorned it have mostly disappeared. Stripped of it splendour, the forlorn temple hides behind bamboo scaffolds put up by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), as they attempt restoration. For the botanically inclined, opposite the main temple entrance is a panchabat, a banyan tree (Ficus benghalensis) that has fused in its aerial roots a tamarind (Tamarindus indica), a jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus), a wild date palm (Phoenix sylvestris) and an Asian Palmyra palm (Borassus flabellifer). This synthesis of various trees into one is strangely reflective of the architectural style of the temples in Kalna, which merges traits of Islamic and Hindu architecture to produce a distinctive style of its own.

A few other temples are also located inside the complex and are worth a closer look. However, on stepping outside the complex, one finds an unassuming entrance located across the narrow street. On entry, what opens up is the perhaps one of the most unique Shiva Temples in India. The Navakailasha Temple is popularly known as the 108 Shiva Temple and is an exemplary fusion of Shaivite world view with indigenous Bengal temple architecture. Established in 1809 by the son of Tilak Chand, Maharaja Tej Chandra, it is the second 108 Shiv Temple in India, the first being located in Bardhaman and constructed by Maharani Bishnukumari, Tej Chandra’s mother. While the one in Burdwan has a square layout, the one in Kalna is circular.

Organised into two circles, one inside the other, the number 108 indicates the total number of Shiva lingas in the temple, while the actual numbers of temples are 110, with the two additional ones serving as entrance to the outer and inner circle. The outer circle comprises of 75 temples neatly arranged in a single row, while
35 such temples constitute the inner circle.

The number 108 represents different names of Lord Shiva; likewise, 108 Shiva lingas form one temple, reinforcing unity in divinity. In the outer circle, half of the total Shiva lingas are white in colour while the rest are black. In the inner circle, however, each of the 34 Shiva lingas is white. Siddeshwar Acharyya, an expert on Kalna’s history, explained the significance of such a unique scheme. The outer circle, as he explained, represented the world we live in, where white symbolises punya (good) and black paap (evil) in equal measure. However, through meditation and service to Shiva, one slowly gets to see the real world composed only of pure thoughts and deed. Such a world is symbolised by the inner circle of temples. The journey from the outer to the inner circle is reflective of such a spiritual crossing over. At the centre of the inner circle, all the white Shiva lingas are visible, implying that the person has attained truth, hence moksha.
As the sun begins to set, I make one last journey to bring the temple tour of Kalna to a close. It takes me to the banks of the Bhagirathi River, to the dilapidated twin Shiva Temple of Jagannath Bari. Constructed in 1754, one faces the east and other, west, ensuring that deities witness both the rising and the setting sun. The deities have long being replaced with bats, and green leaves have broken through the textured walls. Brown capillary roots of a ficus have slowly started to wrap themselves around the temple. As the sun sets over the muddy waters of the Bhagirathi River, it casts its dying rays on the weather eaten terracotta panels. Depicting stories of love and celebration of life, they now wait to merge back into the earth from which they were made.

 

Travel Tips

Ambika Kalna is 60 km from Bardhaman, the district headquarter. Being situated at the junction of three districts (Bardhaman, Hooghly and Nadia), Kalna has a well-developed transportation network. The main mode of local transport are the cycle and auto rickshaws.

Though the main railway station is Ambika Kalna, the northern part of the city can be accessed through Baghnapara station. There are many local trains (EMU) and a few express and passenger trains from Howrah and Sealdah. From Howrah, it takes around 2 hours to reach Kalna by local trains.

Kalna is linked to important cities of South Bengal by road. The main bus stand is situated beside the STKK Road. Many private local and long route express buses are available. There is a bus depot of South Bengal State Transport Corp–oration (SBSTC). Long distance express buses, connecting various cities (Asansol, Durgapur, Bardhaman, etc) in West Bengal and Jharkhand, are available.