CourtneySugden at 11:13, 10 February 2025

2025-02-10T11:13:36Z

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{{Short description|Hindu Temple in West Bengal, India}}
{{Infobox religious building
| religious_affiliation = [[Hinduism]]
| name = Keshabeshwar Temple
| image = Keshabeshwar temple at Ramnathpur in South 24 Parganas district 08.jpg
| alt =
| coordinates = {{coord|22|9|15.04|N|88|19|19.40|E|type:landmark_region:IN|display=inline,title}}
| map_type = India West Bengal
| map_relief = yes
| state = [[West Bengal]]
| country = {{flag|India}}
| district = [[South 24 Parganas]]
| locale = Mandirbazar, Ramnathpur
| deity = [[Shiva]]
| architect = Bashudeb
| architecture_type = Shiva temple
| architecture_style = ''Atchala'' ([[Chala Style|Chala]] Style)
| founded_by = Keshab Roychowdhury
| funded_by = Keshab Roychowdhury
| established = 1748
| year_completed = 1748
| festivals = [[Charak Puja]]
| governing_body =
| website =
| footnotes = {{sfn|Chattopadhyay|2005|pp=257–258}}
}}

'''Keshabeshwar Temple''' is a [[Chala Style|''Chala'']] style [[Hindu temple]] at Ramnathpur village. It is located on the western side of the road and is dedicated to the Hindu deity [[Shiva]]. [[Charak Puja]] and [[fair]] are held every year in the temple premises.<ref name="anandabazar1">{{cite news |title=শিব মন্দিরে চড়কের ঝাঁপ |url=https://www.anandabazar.com/west-bengal/24-parganas/charak-festival-celebrated-at-mandirbazar-1.133878 |access-date=27 September 2024 |work=www.anandabazar.com |date=13 April 2015 |location=Mandirbazar |language=bn}}</ref>

In the middle of the 18th century, the local [[Zamindars of Bengal|zamindar]] Keshab Roychowdhury started the construction of the temple for the purpose of establishing and worshiping the [[Lingam|Shiva-lingam]]. An architect named Basudeb built the temple, and took 12 years to complete the construction of it. Zamindar Keshab Roychowdhury established the temple in 1748 AD (Shaka era 1670), and named it after himself. The temple was first renovated in 1356 ''[[Bangabda]]'' at the initiative of the Roychowdhury family and villagers; the temple was last renovated in 1402 ''Bangabda''.<ref>{{cite news |title=সাড়ে আটশো বছরের পুরনো শিব মন্দিরে ভক্তের ঢল |url=https://bengali.news18.com/news/south-24-parganas/devotees-gather-at-keshabeswar-shiva-temple-in-mandirbazar-l18-1204679.html |access-date=18 January 2025 |work=[[News18]] |date=24 July 2023 |language=bn}}</ref>

Keshabeshwar Temple is built by locally made [[brick]]s. The walls of the temple have terracotta decorations, such as floral and foliage designs. The roof is composed of eight sloping ''chala''s or sheds in two steps—four lower and four upper. Three ''[[Kalasha|kalash]]''s with ''[[Trishula|trishul]]''s are placed in the top of the upper ''chala'' structure. The main entrance on the south has three pointed arches.

== Architecture ==
=== Style ===
Keshabeshwar Temple is an example of the ''atchala'' architectural style—a sub-style of the ''chala'' style of temple architectur that originated in [[Bengal]]. Architecturally, features of the style include sloping roofs, pointed arches, ''kalash'' with ''trishul'' at the top; there are corridors on three sides of the [[garbhagriha]]. Common decorative elements are flowers, foliage, dancing women, deities and narrative scenes. Other elements of the design have been destroyed over time, or decayed, through neglect and lack of renovation.{{sfn|Chattopadhyay|2005|p=258}}

=== Features ===
==== Temple structure ====
The temple stands on a high platform. It has a central ''chura'' or dome made of stalactite [[pendentive]] rising from the four corners of the walls of the nearly square ''garbhagriha''. A wide corridor surrounds the ''garbhagriha'' on three sides except the north side. The corridor is connected to the temple premises by arches on three sides—east, south and west. The walls of the corridor and the ''garbhagriha'' are joined by ''sardal''s to provide additional strength to the temple structure.{{sfn|Chattopadhyay|2005|p=258}}

==== Decoration ====
Integrated with the architecture of the building, one of the reasons for its fame is its size, height, structure plan and decoration. All the walls except the northern wall have terracotta and limestone decoration. As decoration, the walls mainly bear scenes of gods and goddesses, animals, foliage and dancing women. Apart from the foliated covering above the arch on three sides, there is a [[terracotta]] [[Vishnu]] in [[relief]] style—a sculptural method—at the top of the two pillars in the middle of the south facing arch and two bisected tiles above the two half-pillars attached to the wall. The bisected tile has images of Hanuman on one side and [[Kali]] on the other; the two contents are separated by borders.{{sfn|Chattopadhyay|2005|p=258}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== Bibliography ==
* {{cite book |last1=Chattopadhyay |first1=Sagar |title=দক্ষিণ চব্বিশ পরগনা জেলার পুরাকীর্তি |date=2005 |publisher=Directorate Of Archaeology And Museums, Information and Cultural Affairs Department, Government of West Bengal |location=Kolkata |pages=257–258 |edition=1st |language=bn |chapter=পুরাকীর্তি পরিচয় - রামনাথপুর|type=Paperback}}
* {{cite journal |editor1-last=Bhattacharya |editor1-first=Ashok |editor2-last=Santra |editor2-first=Tarapada |editor3-last=Majumdar |editor3-first=Hemen |editor4-last=Mukhopadhyay |editor4-first=Sameer kumar |editor5-last=Bose |editor5-first=Debashis |editor6-last=Chowdhury |editor6-first=Indrajit |editor7-last=Mitra |editor7-first=Sumedh |editor8-last=Sengupta |editor8-first=Gautam |title=পুরাবৃত্ত ১ |journal=Purabritta |date=2017 |pages=176-182 |publisher=Directorate Of Archaeology And Museums, Information and Cultural Affairs Department, Government of West Bengal |location=Kolkata |language=bn}}

==External links==
* {{Commons category-inline|Keshabeshwar temple, Ramnathpur}}

{{Hindu temples in West Bengal}}

[[Category:Hindu temples in South 24 Parganas district]]

Keshabeshwar Temple - Revision history

CourtneySugden at 11:13, 10 February 2025