The famous Hazarduari palace of Murshidabad drew me to this once grand capital of the Nawabs of Bengal,now a dusty town in West Bengal.
For someone who chases monuments and forgotten ruins across the country, everything Mursidabad had to offer fascinated me.
It was the small temple, and as the sun's rays fell on it, its red brick surface glowed, the shade from the trees adding a dappled effect.
The temple is in the village of Bhattabati. The legend goes that the place gots its name from the Bhata Brahmin families who came from Karnataka and settled here in the reign of Alauddin Husain Shah (1494-1519).
Not much is known of the builder of this 18th century shiva temple called Ratneshwar.
The terracotta panels which cover the surface of the temple are spectacular.
The Ratneshwar temple stands on a plinth and is looked after well by the villagers, which include many Muslims. The temple is about 10 metres in height. The door to the shrine is kept locked.
Decorated panels:-
The terracotta panels on the temple have religious and secular scenes, and describe scenes from the life of Rama and Krishna,talk of kings, queens, dancing girls,reclining noblemen, troupes of musicians, women tablachis, hunting and wedding scenes and more.
The figures have worn down over time. Every inch is covered by these remarkable terracotta scenes,including a lower panel with a version of terracotta warriors.
Three steps:-
The northen wall has a huge sculpture of vishnu in the vaman avatar. The sculpture shows the three steps that vaman took to subdue the asura Mahabali.one points towards the sky, the second is on earth,and the third is firmly on king Mahabali's head. Unfortunately,the portion showing the foot on Mahabali is damaged.
This temple with its mythology, artistic perfection and messages of communal harmony is something that symbolises India to me...
For someone who chases monuments and forgotten ruins across the country, everything Mursidabad had to offer fascinated me.
It was the small temple, and as the sun's rays fell on it, its red brick surface glowed, the shade from the trees adding a dappled effect.
The temple is in the village of Bhattabati. The legend goes that the place gots its name from the Bhata Brahmin families who came from Karnataka and settled here in the reign of Alauddin Husain Shah (1494-1519).
Not much is known of the builder of this 18th century shiva temple called Ratneshwar.
The terracotta panels which cover the surface of the temple are spectacular.
The Ratneshwar temple stands on a plinth and is looked after well by the villagers, which include many Muslims. The temple is about 10 metres in height. The door to the shrine is kept locked.
Decorated panels:-
The terracotta panels on the temple have religious and secular scenes, and describe scenes from the life of Rama and Krishna,talk of kings, queens, dancing girls,reclining noblemen, troupes of musicians, women tablachis, hunting and wedding scenes and more.
The figures have worn down over time. Every inch is covered by these remarkable terracotta scenes,including a lower panel with a version of terracotta warriors.
Three steps:-
The northen wall has a huge sculpture of vishnu in the vaman avatar. The sculpture shows the three steps that vaman took to subdue the asura Mahabali.one points towards the sky, the second is on earth,and the third is firmly on king Mahabali's head. Unfortunately,the portion showing the foot on Mahabali is damaged.
This temple with its mythology, artistic perfection and messages of communal harmony is something that symbolises India to me...
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