When I was in school, I read a famous poem by Rabindranath Tagore which talks about how people travel to far-off places, such as mountains and oceans, spending considerable time and money, but never get to see a glistening dewdrop on a sheaf of rice near their homes. The same happened with me. I explored Calcutta during my student life, roamed around Delhi since I started staying there and travelled to quite a few tourist spots in India, but never went to see the historical places in Panihati, which is one of the oldest habitats along the Ganga/Hooghly river near Calcutta, and just a 10-minute auto ride from my place.
It was on my travel list for long, but somehow, the plan was not materialising. Finally, on Sunday morning, along with a friend, I set out for a trip to the Ghats of Panihati/Peneti.
In between, I stopped at a handicrafts shop near our house to buy something and started discussing my plan with the owner. He said, “if you are visiting the nearby temples, start with Shyam Sundar Jiw Mandir in Khardaha (the neighbouring town)”. So be it! We took an auto rickshaw to Khardaha thana bus stop and got into an e-rickshaw (locally called toto) for Shyam mandir when our gaze fell on a small signpost giving direction to the “26 Shiv Mandir" complex, ASI-protected. I told my friend that I never knew my extended neighbourhood has an ASI-listed monument and we must visit it too.
The Radhashyamsundar temple is said to be more than 400 years old, established by Vaishnavite sage Shri Birbhadra Goswami, son of Shri Nityananda, the main disciple of Bhakti movement leader Shri Chaitanya. The temple is made in Bengal atchala style. There is a rasmancha on the banks of the river where the famous Ras Mela of Khardaha is held every year. Another temple dedicated to Madanmohan jew is situated adjacent to it. The temple complex also has a huge natmancha (platform for kirtan). Clicking photographs of the temple complex is not allowed, we were told. There are some pics in Google though (maybe they took special permission). Anyone interested can check them.
Just 5-7 minutes walk from Shyam mandir takes you to the 26 Shiv Mandir complex at Ram Hari Biswas Ghat. Google search says The cut-brick terracotta temples were constructed in the early 19th century by Ramhari Biswas and his son Prankrishna. Twenty one of them are in a square-shaped enclosure while five are on the banks, facing the river. We clicked a few pics in the near-deserted site. The nearby ghat was also mostly empty, barring a few goats lazing around. The Ganga was on ebb.
Our next stop, Baromandir Ghat in Panihati also has 12 beautiful temples along the river, six each in two sides of the Ghat. A few have been painted white, but the walls of the non-painted ones look more exquisite. Konnagar, situated just opposite on the other bank of the Ganga, also has 12 such temples in same position across the river. The Ghat was constructed by Nabin Chandra Dutta in memory of his father about 200 years back.
Panihati has a rich history in respect of commercial and religious significance. It is said that Buddhist, Shaivaite, Vaishanavite and Tantric traditions flourished here, and the name Panihati comes from “Punya Hatta” or holy place. Another opinion is that it was a key centre of business activities using the river route and was known as “Panya Hati" or Goods Centre. Our toto driver, Mr Subrata Bhakta, told us about the trading past of Panihati and the story about how the town got its name. There was one particular Ghat in Panihati which was named Amdani-Raptanir (Import-Export) Ghat. Oh, the tales of yesteryears, they sound so glorious always.
Mr Bhakta then took us to Trannath Babur Ghat, named after a well-known social worker and the first Chairman of Panihati Municipality who established a Pancharatna Kali temple beside the river in 1898. There are three Shiv temples here too. Just behind it is the Peneti Bagan Bari or garden house which has been associated with the memory of Rabindranath Tagore. He visited this house several times, including on 29th May 1919, a day before he forsook his Knighthood in protest against the Jalianwalla Bagh massacre.
There are some more Ghats in Panihati, including Gobinda Home Ghat, Narasingha Dutta Ghat and Sukhchar Bazar Ghat. But the most famous is the Mahotsabtala Ghat or Shri Chaitanyer Ghat. Shri Chaitanya and Shri Nityananda came here in 1515 A.D. It is said that the saints and their disciples was treated to flattened rice and curd (Chida-Dadhi) by devotee Raghunath Das Goswami under a banyan tree on the banks of the river. Every year, in the month of Jyestha, devotees gather at the same place to commemorate the “Chida-Dadhi Mahotsav”. My friend said, “we will come at the mela once”. Mr Bhakta, the e-rickshaw sarathi, said there will be thousands and thousands of people at Mahotsab Ghat at that time, having Chida and Dahi. The old banyan tree is still at the Ghat and a small temple dedicated to Shri Chaitanya Dev attracts substantial footfall regularly. Some hoardings have been put up to narrate the story of the festival.
It is time to go back home. But Panihati is yet to be explored fully. Maybe, during my next visit home, will look for Garh Bhawani Ghat, which apparently was the location of a fort of a mediaeval king. (Information source: Mr Bhakta and the website of Panihati Municipality).
(October 2018)
It was on my travel list for long, but somehow, the plan was not materialising. Finally, on Sunday morning, along with a friend, I set out for a trip to the Ghats of Panihati/Peneti.
In between, I stopped at a handicrafts shop near our house to buy something and started discussing my plan with the owner. He said, “if you are visiting the nearby temples, start with Shyam Sundar Jiw Mandir in Khardaha (the neighbouring town)”. So be it! We took an auto rickshaw to Khardaha thana bus stop and got into an e-rickshaw (locally called toto) for Shyam mandir when our gaze fell on a small signpost giving direction to the “26 Shiv Mandir" complex, ASI-protected. I told my friend that I never knew my extended neighbourhood has an ASI-listed monument and we must visit it too.
The Radhashyamsundar temple is said to be more than 400 years old, established by Vaishnavite sage Shri Birbhadra Goswami, son of Shri Nityananda, the main disciple of Bhakti movement leader Shri Chaitanya. The temple is made in Bengal atchala style. There is a rasmancha on the banks of the river where the famous Ras Mela of Khardaha is held every year. Another temple dedicated to Madanmohan jew is situated adjacent to it. The temple complex also has a huge natmancha (platform for kirtan). Clicking photographs of the temple complex is not allowed, we were told. There are some pics in Google though (maybe they took special permission). Anyone interested can check them.
Just 5-7 minutes walk from Shyam mandir takes you to the 26 Shiv Mandir complex at Ram Hari Biswas Ghat. Google search says The cut-brick terracotta temples were constructed in the early 19th century by Ramhari Biswas and his son Prankrishna. Twenty one of them are in a square-shaped enclosure while five are on the banks, facing the river. We clicked a few pics in the near-deserted site. The nearby ghat was also mostly empty, barring a few goats lazing around. The Ganga was on ebb.
Our next stop, Baromandir Ghat in Panihati also has 12 beautiful temples along the river, six each in two sides of the Ghat. A few have been painted white, but the walls of the non-painted ones look more exquisite. Konnagar, situated just opposite on the other bank of the Ganga, also has 12 such temples in same position across the river. The Ghat was constructed by Nabin Chandra Dutta in memory of his father about 200 years back.
Panihati has a rich history in respect of commercial and religious significance. It is said that Buddhist, Shaivaite, Vaishanavite and Tantric traditions flourished here, and the name Panihati comes from “Punya Hatta” or holy place. Another opinion is that it was a key centre of business activities using the river route and was known as “Panya Hati" or Goods Centre. Our toto driver, Mr Subrata Bhakta, told us about the trading past of Panihati and the story about how the town got its name. There was one particular Ghat in Panihati which was named Amdani-Raptanir (Import-Export) Ghat. Oh, the tales of yesteryears, they sound so glorious always.
Mr Bhakta then took us to Trannath Babur Ghat, named after a well-known social worker and the first Chairman of Panihati Municipality who established a Pancharatna Kali temple beside the river in 1898. There are three Shiv temples here too. Just behind it is the Peneti Bagan Bari or garden house which has been associated with the memory of Rabindranath Tagore. He visited this house several times, including on 29th May 1919, a day before he forsook his Knighthood in protest against the Jalianwalla Bagh massacre.
There are some more Ghats in Panihati, including Gobinda Home Ghat, Narasingha Dutta Ghat and Sukhchar Bazar Ghat. But the most famous is the Mahotsabtala Ghat or Shri Chaitanyer Ghat. Shri Chaitanya and Shri Nityananda came here in 1515 A.D. It is said that the saints and their disciples was treated to flattened rice and curd (Chida-Dadhi) by devotee Raghunath Das Goswami under a banyan tree on the banks of the river. Every year, in the month of Jyestha, devotees gather at the same place to commemorate the “Chida-Dadhi Mahotsav”. My friend said, “we will come at the mela once”. Mr Bhakta, the e-rickshaw sarathi, said there will be thousands and thousands of people at Mahotsab Ghat at that time, having Chida and Dahi. The old banyan tree is still at the Ghat and a small temple dedicated to Shri Chaitanya Dev attracts substantial footfall regularly. Some hoardings have been put up to narrate the story of the festival.
It is time to go back home. But Panihati is yet to be explored fully. Maybe, during my next visit home, will look for Garh Bhawani Ghat, which apparently was the location of a fort of a mediaeval king. (Information source: Mr Bhakta and the website of Panihati Municipality).
(October 2018)
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