Jatar Deul

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Jatar Deul
An ASI Listed Monument
Jatar Deul - WB.jpg
Religion
Affiliation Hinduism
Deity Shiva
Location
LocationKankan Dighi/Jata
South 24 Parganas
StateWest Bengal
CountryIndia
West Bengal location map.svg
Om symbol.svg
Location in West Bengal
India location map.svg
Om symbol.svg
Location in India
Geographic coordinates 21°59′33″N88°29′15″E / 21.99250°N 88.48750°E / 21.99250; 88.48750
Architecture
Type Rekha deul
Date established10th -11th century
Completed10th -11th century
Elevation30 m (98 ft)

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]

Contents

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

Jatar Deul Jatar Deul.jpg
Jatar Deul

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 AD. [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. 1 2 3 4 "ASI, Kolkata Circle".
  2. 1 2 "List of Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains of West Bengal - Archaeological Survey of India". Item no. 6. ASI. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  3. ↑ "On a trail to explore stories behind brick temples". The Times of India . The Times Group. 4 March 2018. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 Datta, Rangan. "Jatar Deul horse race: Inexperienced riders, uneven tracks and unbridled fun" . Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  5. 1 2 "List of Ancient Monuments in Bengal".
  6. ↑ "Monographs of the Varendra Research Society no. 3 by Majumdar N.G."
  7. ↑ Ghosh, Binoy, Paschim Banger Sanskriti, (in Bengali), part III, 1980 edition, pages 152-155, Prakash Bhaban, Kolkata
  8. 1 2 3 4 "Monographs of the Varendra Research Society no. 3, by Majumdar N.G."
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