Jatar Deul is located in district South 24 Parganas of the Indian state West Bengal.[1][2] This is a brick temple and is datable between the 10th and 11th century on the basis of its architecture.[1] However, this type of brick temple we can see at Nebia Khera, Uttar Pradesh.[3]
Location
The Jatar-Deul stands isolated near a village named jata (from which the name comes from) in the surroundings of the locality Kanakan Dighi, about 5 km east of the small town of Raidighi in the Mathurapur II community development block in the Diamond Harbour subdivision of the district of South 24 Parganas in West Bengal.[4]
History
The temple is known by the name of "Jatar Deul ".[5] This brick temple is traditionally connected with an inscription (not traceable now) of one Raja Jayantachandra, purported to have been issued in 975 CE.[1] It was probably dedicated to Mahadev or Siva, who also goes by the name of Jatadhari.[5] The Archaeological Department board at the temple site places establishment around 11th century.[4] However, there was no deity inside the temple.[1] The discovery of Jatar Deul dates back to the middle of the nineteenth century, when land surveyors stumbled upon a towering brick structure in the midst of the Sundarban.[4]
Consecration
What purpose it served is now a matter of conjecture.[6] There is neither a cult nor any other sculptural or inscriptional evidence available, it is also the consecration of the temple is unclear – some believe it was originally for a Buddhist structure; others see it as a building in honor of the Hindu God Shiva (Mahadev).[7]
Architecture
It towers nearly 100 ft. above the plain.[8] The entrance which is on the east is 9.5 ft. wide and is spanned by a pointed arch.[8] The inside is about 10 ft. square and the walls are about 10 ft. thick.[8] No plinth is visible and the floor is some six feet below the ground, and is reached by a flight of steps.[8]
According to the List of Monuments of National Importance in West Bengal Jatar Deul is an ASI listed monument.[2]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 ASI, Kolkata Circle.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 List of Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains of West Bengal - Archaeological Survey of India. ASI. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
- ↑ On a trail to explore stories behind brick temples. The Times of India. The Times Group(4 March 2018). Retrieved 9 November 2023.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Jatar Deul horse race: Inexperienced riders, uneven tracks and unbridled fun. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 List of Ancient Monuments in Bengal.
- ↑ Monographs of the Varendra Research Society no. 3 by Majumdar N.G..
- ↑ Ghosh, Binoy, Paschim Banger Sanskriti, Template:In lang, part III, 1980 edition, pages 152-155, Prakash Bhaban, Kolkata
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Monographs of the Varendra Research Society no. 3, by Majumdar N.G..