Submerged Temples of Telkupi Exhibit 1


 

Unknown temple at Telkupi - photographed by Armenian archeologist Joseph David Beglar in 1898. 

Collection: Leiden University Library, Royal Netherlands Institute of South East Asian and Caribbean Studies.

Telkupi and its largely Jain tradition temples(Bhairavasthan) from the Pala period (8th-12th CE) were submerged between 1956 and 1962 as a consequence of the construction of Panchet Dam across the Damodar river in Dhanbad, Jharkhand(then Bihar). 

According to archeologists JD Beglar and Dr Debala Mitra, the area contained, perhaps, “the finest and largest number of temples within a small space that is to be found in the Chutia Nagpur Circle in Bengal.”  


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dandesvara and Mahamaya Mandir, Karnagarh, West Medinipur

Image
  This is a group of two temple which is dedicated to Mahadev and Mahamaya which is associated with the ancient fort of Karnagarh. Which stand unhurt and excellent in thin structure.  The Anadilinga Dandeshwar temple is 60 ft tall and is nearly 20.6 ft long. It is an example of the Orissa school of architecture. There is a stone natmandap of about 4 ft in height and a deul or biman. A Shivalinga inside the temple is worshiped by Kharagaeswar Mahadeva. The Mahamaya temple stands on the left of the Dandeshwar temple. It is also built in the Orissa style and dedicated to the mother goddess mahamaya. The temple is 33 ft tall and the jagmohan itself is about 20 ft high. Karnagarh is famous for Chuar Revolt led by Rani Siromoni in April 1798. David J. McCutchion mentions the Dandesvara temple as having a pirha larger than the main temple, measuring 13’ 6” square + 25’ square, built of laterite having stucco decoration. The 60’ high Anadilinga Dandesvara and the Devi Bhagabati Mahamaya temple
Read more

Manasa Mangal Kavya

Image
  Behula sails with her dead husband, scene from Manasa Mangal. [Preview of Manasa Mangal Mayne Chitrakar (Naya/Bengal): The exhibition "Singing Pictures, art and performance of Naya's Women" takes place at the National Museum of Ethnology in Lisbon from July 5 to December 31, 2007.] Manasamangal Kāvya (Bengali: মনসামঙ্গল কাব্য) is the oldest of the Mangal-Kāvya and narrates how the snake-goddess Manasa established her worship in Bengal(Bangala/Banga) by converting a worshipper of Shiva to her own worship. Manasa was a non-Aryan deity and her worship was an ancient one in Bengal. It is believed she came to Bengal with the Dravidians who worshipped her in the hope that she would protect them against snakes. Manasa is also known as Bisahari, Janguli and Padmavati. Depiction of the goddess Manasā in 20th century Bengali popular art. The story of Manasamangal begins with the conflict of the merchant Chandradhar or Chand Sadagar with Manasa and ends with Chandradhar becoming a
Read more

Jagaddala Mahavihara

Image
  Jagaddala Mahavihara (Jogoddol/জগদ্দল) (fl. late 11th century - mid-12th century) was a Buddhist monastery and seat of learning in Varendra, a geographical unit in present north Bengal in Bangladesh. It was founded by the later kings of the Pāla dynasty, probably Ramapala (c. 1077-1120), most likely at a site near the present village of Jagdal in Dhamoirhat Upazila in the north-west Bangladesh on the border with India, near Paharapur. Jagaddala Mahavihara is the only Buddhist vihara identified & excavated in Bangladesh which has a rooftop of around 60 cm thickness. Little is known about Jagaddala compared with the other mahaviharas of the era. For many years, its site was could not be ascertained. A.K.M. Zakaria inspected five likely locations, all called Jagdal or Jagadal, in the Rajshahi-Malda region: in Panchagarh; in Haripur Upazila of Thakurgaon; in Bochaganj Upazila in Dinajpur; in Dhamoirhat Upazila of Naogaon; Bamangola block of Malda, India. Of these, significant ancient
Read more