Baidyapur Jora Deul is a 16th-century temple at
Baidyapur in the
Kalna II CD block
In India, a Community development block (CD block) or simply Block is a sub-division of Tehsil, administratively earmarked for planning and development. The area is administered by a Block Development Officer (BDO), supported by several technic ...
in the
Kalna subdivision
Kalna subdivision is an administrative subdivision of the Purba Bardhaman district in the state of West Bengal, India.
Overview
Kalna subdivision is spread mostly across the Bhagirathi basin, with its western part intruding into the Bardhaman p ...
of the
Purba Bardhaman district
Purba Bardhaman district is in West Bengal. Its headquarters is in Bardhaman. It was formed on 7 April 2017 after the division of the previous Bardhaman district. Great revolutionary Rash Behari Bose was born in village Subaldaha in the district ...
in the
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
n
state of
West Bengal
West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fourt ...
.
Location
Baidyapur is on the Boinchi-Kalna Road and the nearest railway station is
Bainchigram railway station on the
Howrah-Bardhaman main line.
History
Baidyapur Jora Deul was built in 1550 by Subhananda Pal. However, the temple seems to have lost its shape and was probably rebuilt at a later date.
According to the
List of Monuments of National Importance in West Bengal the two ancient temples (joined together) at Baidyapur is an ASI listed monument.
Baidyapur Jora Deul
Baidyapur Jora Deul consists of two joined together by a passage. The main temple faces east and the smaller one south. “Exterior walls of the temple are richly ornamented with decorative bricks. The ornamentation is predominantly floral and geometric patterns but figurative designs are also there.”
Other temples at Baidyapur
David J. McCutchion mentions the Bengal
deul (1598) with
terracotta
Terracotta, terra cotta, or terra-cotta (; ; ), in its material sense as an earthenware substrate, is a clay-based ceramic glaze, unglazed or glazed ceramic where the pottery firing, fired body is porous.
In applied art, craft, construction, a ...
designs on four sides, the Jora Shiva temple and Shiva temple of the Nandi family (1802) with rich terracotta
façade
A façade () (also written facade) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a Loanword, loan word from the French language, French (), which means 'frontage' or 'face'.
In architecture, the façade of a building is often t ...
, the straight corniced navaratna temple (1845) of Vrindavana Chandra with plaster festoons and the brick-built, ridged twin deul
Krishna
Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...
temple (1598) with rich terracotta on all sides. He also mentions the navaratna dolmancha with "baroque" vase turrets at Amdabad, near Baidyapur.
He further elaborates that in the tradition of Odisha, the porch or (a kind of assembly hall) is under a separate roof. It is as large as or larger than the main shrine in base dimensions. It is attached to the main shrine by a passageway (). Similarly, a or a could be attached. The shrine or ''
deul'' is in ''rekha'' style and the other buildings are in style. This tradition had a strong influence on the medieval temples in Midnapore and Bankura. The style is generally used for the tower of the ''jagamohana'' and rarely for the main shrine. Sometimes, the ''jagamohana'' is reduced to an entry porch. It can also be the other way around. At places such as Kharar and the 17th century Radha Kanta temple at
Muninagar and earlier at Baidyapur, the porch is almost as high as the main shrine, giving the impression of twin .
[McCutchion, David J., ''Late Mediaeval Temples of Bengal'', first published 1972, reprinted 2017, pages 67-68. The Asiatic Society, Kolkata, ]
Jora Deul picture gallery
File:Jora Deul of Baidyapur in Burdwan district 05.jpg, Terracotta decoration on Jora Deul wall
File:Jora Deul of Baidyapur in Burdwan district 18.jpg, Terracotta decoration on Jora Deul wall
File:Jora Deul of Baidyapur in Burdwan district 20.jpg, Terracotta decoration on Jora Deul wall
References
External links
{{Major temples in West Bengal
Hindu temples in West Bengal
Monuments of National Importance in West Bengal
Tourist attractions in Purba Bardhaman district