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A Beauty Called Cooch Behar – Part 2
Cooch Behar town fascinated me.
Remnants of a bygone era.
The warmth of the place was still a little shielded from the big city madness, yet at one time this used to be the seat of power of the Princely State worthy of 13 gun salutes.
West Bengal Heritage Commission in collaboration with IIT Kharagpur has in fact declared certain sites as Heritage Sites here. The District Heritage Committee is also working on a list of 155 Heritage sites with the ultimate aim to declare Coochbehar town as Heritage Town. The architectural splendor remains.
Photo credits: Inside 1: MJN Club - commons.wikimedia.org; Inside 1A: Jenkins Hostel - coochbehar.nic.in
The Jenkins School Building, the MJN Club, the Post Office building are spectacular architectural beauties, but nothing quite prepared us for the marvelous structure of the Victor Jubilee Palace or Cooch Behar Rajbaari as it is commonly known.
Photo Credits: Inside 2: Darbar Hall - facebook.com; Inside 2A: commons.wikimedia.org
Built in 1887 by Maharaja Nripendra Narayan Bhoop Bahadur, the palace was built was built in Italian renaissance style, with a huge Durbar Hall, Ballroom, Billiards room, a great library and around 18 bedrooms.
Maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India, A small part of the Palace is now open for public viewing .As one pushes the tall teak doors and slivered door knobs to go into what once used to be the Durbar Hall, and stand under its central dome with Corinthian columns supporting the base of the cupola, one looks up in awe. One could easily be standing in a historic site in Europe.
Photo Credits: Inside 3: sager dighi - destimaps.com; Inside 3A:engaonconnection.com
Another beautiful spot in the quaint and historic town was the Sager Dighi which translates to mean "Ocean Lake". It is, in fact a spectacular tank surrounded by with grand structures all around. The buildings, built mostly between the 1880s and 1920s, are now offices of the district administration. In the evening Sagar Dighi area comes alive with food carts and temporary stalls being set and people coming in throngs to enjoy the ambience.
The next day we set out on a shopping spree. In case one likes ethno heritage art and craft, one is spoilt for choice here.
In and around Cooch Behar, art is abundant. From the looms for weaves at Tufangunj where exquisite cotton sarees are woven, to handmade Sitalpati craft, not just the rugs or "patis" as we call them locally but very usable bags, coasters, table mats are manufactured, right from growing the plant to the end product, and finally the Shola craft at Bataguri, creativity is everywhere.
Photo Credits:Inside 4: Baneshwar Shiva Temple - en.wikipedia.org; Inside 4A: Madan Mohun Jiu temple - coochbehar.nic.in
While we were absorbing the local craftsmanship we drove up to another beautiful Temple about 10 kilometre ahead of Coochbehar. This was the Baneshwar Shiv Temple. The temple has a 'Shivalinga' 10 feet below the plinth level. Another temple inside the Baneshwar Shiv temple is where ‘Ardhanariswar’ is worshiped. Ardhanariswar is the composite male-female of Shiva and Parvati. It represents the synthesis of masculine and feminine energies of the universe (Purusha and Prakriti) and is considered to be the root of all creation.
That evening when the moon was full and magical we went to see the Raash Festival at the Madan Mohun Jiu temple.
Rash Mela in West Bengal is a festival celebrating the divine love of Sri Krishna and Radha. Celebrated on the full moon day in Kartik month, the Rash Yatra is a procession with clay deities of Lord Krishna and Radha. The parade demonstrate the life of Lord Krishna, his various miracles and deeds. The Rash Mela is an annual fair that is very famous in the Nabadwip, Cooch Behar and Sundarbans.
In Cooch Behar Rashmela is one of the main festivals and is celebrated with devotion and beauty at Madan Mohun temple popularly called Madan baari.
Madan baari temple complex has a dazzling white one-storeyed structure as its centerpiece. It’s a fine blending of Hindu (low, sprawling porch in front), Islamic (scalloped arches and bulbous pillars) and Central Asian (dome with tapered peak) architectural traditions. Built by Maharaja Nripendra Narayan, the deities residing within the premises are Madan Mohan Jiu Temple, Ma Kali, Ma Bhavani and Ma Tara. It is an unique coming together of Bhakti and Shakti worship of Sanatan Dharma.
The month long Rash mela starts with the rotation of the grand Rashchakra. The Raashchakra or The holy wheel is a structure built during the Raashmela that is held in honour of Lord Krishna or Madanmohan in Cooch Behar, India.
From the time of the Maharajas, the Raash Chakra in Cooch Behar is made by a Muslim family of ghughumari area every year. A symbol of secular mood in the district. This Raash-Chakra is a semi-cylindrical like structure made out of paper and bamboo/posts) symbolises brotherhood irrespective of the religious diversity. It resembles the Dharma Chakra of the Buddhists and thus it unifies the Sanatana Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims in a single chord of harmony.
In many ways inclusion has always been a tradition in Bengal. Ruled by Buddhist kings, Muslim Nawabs and Hindu kings Bengal has always soaked in all traditions .No wonder it was the seat of so many social reform movements from The Bhakti Movement of Shree Chaitanya and Sree Ramakrishna to the Brahmo Samaj movement of Raja Ram Mohan Roy.
Bengal is a treasure of historic landmarks yet it remains quite unknown to anyone beyond the locals. It's glorious architecture and most importantly cultural heritage is not just the responsibility of a few custodians but truly belongs to all of us now. It is really up to us, the people to be responsible for our common inherited legacy.
And as the Royal insignia reads:
"Jato dharma, stato jai" "So long as there is dharma (true justice) there will be victory"
May this and the rest of my beloved Bengal be forever blessed with Dharma or true justice for all.
Photo credits: Banner Left: Jenkins School - coochbehar.nic.in; Banner Center: huffingtonpost.com; Banner Right: Post Office - coochbehar.nic.in
For more information go to www.ipsitaganguli.com
Remnants of a bygone era.
The warmth of the place was still a little shielded from the big city madness, yet at one time this used to be the seat of power of the Princely State worthy of 13 gun salutes.
West Bengal Heritage Commission in collaboration with IIT Kharagpur has in fact declared certain sites as Heritage Sites here. The District Heritage Committee is also working on a list of 155 Heritage sites with the ultimate aim to declare Coochbehar town as Heritage Town. The architectural splendor remains.
Photo credits: Inside 1: MJN Club - commons.wikimedia.org; Inside 1A: Jenkins Hostel - coochbehar.nic.in
The Jenkins School Building, the MJN Club, the Post Office building are spectacular architectural beauties, but nothing quite prepared us for the marvelous structure of the Victor Jubilee Palace or Cooch Behar Rajbaari as it is commonly known.
Photo Credits: Inside 2: Darbar Hall - facebook.com; Inside 2A: commons.wikimedia.org
Built in 1887 by Maharaja Nripendra Narayan Bhoop Bahadur, the palace was built was built in Italian renaissance style, with a huge Durbar Hall, Ballroom, Billiards room, a great library and around 18 bedrooms.
Maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India, A small part of the Palace is now open for public viewing .As one pushes the tall teak doors and slivered door knobs to go into what once used to be the Durbar Hall, and stand under its central dome with Corinthian columns supporting the base of the cupola, one looks up in awe. One could easily be standing in a historic site in Europe.
Photo Credits: Inside 3: sager dighi - destimaps.com; Inside 3A:engaonconnection.com
Another beautiful spot in the quaint and historic town was the Sager Dighi which translates to mean "Ocean Lake". It is, in fact a spectacular tank surrounded by with grand structures all around. The buildings, built mostly between the 1880s and 1920s, are now offices of the district administration. In the evening Sagar Dighi area comes alive with food carts and temporary stalls being set and people coming in throngs to enjoy the ambience.
The next day we set out on a shopping spree. In case one likes ethno heritage art and craft, one is spoilt for choice here.
In and around Cooch Behar, art is abundant. From the looms for weaves at Tufangunj where exquisite cotton sarees are woven, to handmade Sitalpati craft, not just the rugs or "patis" as we call them locally but very usable bags, coasters, table mats are manufactured, right from growing the plant to the end product, and finally the Shola craft at Bataguri, creativity is everywhere.
Photo Credits:Inside 4: Baneshwar Shiva Temple - en.wikipedia.org; Inside 4A: Madan Mohun Jiu temple - coochbehar.nic.in
While we were absorbing the local craftsmanship we drove up to another beautiful Temple about 10 kilometre ahead of Coochbehar. This was the Baneshwar Shiv Temple. The temple has a 'Shivalinga' 10 feet below the plinth level. Another temple inside the Baneshwar Shiv temple is where ‘Ardhanariswar’ is worshiped. Ardhanariswar is the composite male-female of Shiva and Parvati. It represents the synthesis of masculine and feminine energies of the universe (Purusha and Prakriti) and is considered to be the root of all creation.
That evening when the moon was full and magical we went to see the Raash Festival at the Madan Mohun Jiu temple.
Rash Mela in West Bengal is a festival celebrating the divine love of Sri Krishna and Radha. Celebrated on the full moon day in Kartik month, the Rash Yatra is a procession with clay deities of Lord Krishna and Radha. The parade demonstrate the life of Lord Krishna, his various miracles and deeds. The Rash Mela is an annual fair that is very famous in the Nabadwip, Cooch Behar and Sundarbans.
In Cooch Behar Rashmela is one of the main festivals and is celebrated with devotion and beauty at Madan Mohun temple popularly called Madan baari.
Madan baari temple complex has a dazzling white one-storeyed structure as its centerpiece. It’s a fine blending of Hindu (low, sprawling porch in front), Islamic (scalloped arches and bulbous pillars) and Central Asian (dome with tapered peak) architectural traditions. Built by Maharaja Nripendra Narayan, the deities residing within the premises are Madan Mohan Jiu Temple, Ma Kali, Ma Bhavani and Ma Tara. It is an unique coming together of Bhakti and Shakti worship of Sanatan Dharma.
The month long Rash mela starts with the rotation of the grand Rashchakra. The Raashchakra or The holy wheel is a structure built during the Raashmela that is held in honour of Lord Krishna or Madanmohan in Cooch Behar, India.
From the time of the Maharajas, the Raash Chakra in Cooch Behar is made by a Muslim family of ghughumari area every year. A symbol of secular mood in the district. This Raash-Chakra is a semi-cylindrical like structure made out of paper and bamboo/posts) symbolises brotherhood irrespective of the religious diversity. It resembles the Dharma Chakra of the Buddhists and thus it unifies the Sanatana Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims in a single chord of harmony.
In many ways inclusion has always been a tradition in Bengal. Ruled by Buddhist kings, Muslim Nawabs and Hindu kings Bengal has always soaked in all traditions .No wonder it was the seat of so many social reform movements from The Bhakti Movement of Shree Chaitanya and Sree Ramakrishna to the Brahmo Samaj movement of Raja Ram Mohan Roy.
Bengal is a treasure of historic landmarks yet it remains quite unknown to anyone beyond the locals. It's glorious architecture and most importantly cultural heritage is not just the responsibility of a few custodians but truly belongs to all of us now. It is really up to us, the people to be responsible for our common inherited legacy.
And as the Royal insignia reads:
"Jato dharma, stato jai" "So long as there is dharma (true justice) there will be victory"
May this and the rest of my beloved Bengal be forever blessed with Dharma or true justice for all.
Photo credits: Banner Left: Jenkins School - coochbehar.nic.in; Banner Center: huffingtonpost.com; Banner Right: Post Office - coochbehar.nic.in
For more information go to www.ipsitaganguli.com
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