Situated 45km north of Kolkata near the west bank of the Hooghly River, the impressive Ananta Vasudeva terracotta temple at Bansberia was constructed in 1679 CE by Raja Rameshwar Roy. The east-facing ekaratna temple measures 10.9m x 9.9m, and although it has been significantly restored and has lost much of its intricate terracotta works, what survives is exquisite and justifies a visit to this monument alongside the neighbouring Haneshwari Temple (a separate blog on this temple is imminent!).
Raja Rameshwar Roy was the son of Raghav Dattaray, who came from Patuli in Burdwan. The family had always been trusted servants of the Mughal emperors and received the title of “Majumdar” by Jahangir, one of only four families in Bengal to receive that title. Shah Jahan granted Patuli’s Dattaray family with a zamindari of 21 parganas (a group of villages forming a subdivision of a district) of the then Satgaon (now Saptagram) in 1656 CE.
Saptagram was an important town in medieval Bengal, located at the confluence of three rivers (Ganga, Jamuna, and Saraswati) and served as a military base, mint-town and port. By the early 17th century the area had started to decline due to the loss of royal patronage, but Bansberia continued to prosper from semi-autonomous zamindars who built several mansions and temples here.
When Raja Rameshwar Roy was the zamindar of Bansberia the whole of Bengal was under constant threat from Maratha attacks. Legend has it that Rameshwar cleared a bamboo forest and built a fort (Garbati) surrounded by a moat covering a mile in area to repel the attacks of the Maratha enemies, from which the area got its name of Banshberia (literally meaning “Bamboo”). Rameshwar’s loyal Pathan warriors were in charge of the defense of the fort, it is said some of their families still live in Bansberia. Near to the fort, Rameshwar Roy also built this elaborate terracotta Vishnu temple, the neighbouring Haneshwari temple was constructed some time later by the wife of his great grandson, Nrisimhadeva Ray.
On the east side of the temple, which is the main entrance to the temple interior, there is a basalt slab with a very clear foundation inscription written in old Bengali script:
It reads :
“Mahibyomanga Shithanangsu is in shock year in mathematics.
Sri Rameshwar Dattan Nirmame Vishnu Mandirang.”
The words ‘Mahibyomang Shitangsu’ may sound a little strange, but it has a mathematical meaning. Mahi = 1, Byom = 0, Anga = 6, and Shitangsu i.e. Chandra = 1. Reading these numbers from right to left we get a foundation date of 1601 in the historical Hindu calendar (Shakabda), which equates to the year 1679 CE in the Julian calendar. It is also interesting to note that despite having the titles of ‘Majumdar’ and ‘Raja Mahashay’, Rameshwar used his family title “Datta” in the second line.
Despite this temple having been subjected to much damage and renovation over the years, the remaining terracotta work is awe-inspiring and the level of craftsmanship is on par anything that can be seen in West Bengal.
The Terracotta work is so intricate that it inspired the great poet Rabindranath Tagore, who was so moved by the art that he asked his student Nandalal Bose to document the panels on the temple walls, which he did so over the course of four weeks.
Adorning the temple facade are idols of various gods and goddesses and mythological figures. These include Dakshyagna, Mahishasuramardini, Dasamahavidya, Haradhnubhanga, Rama’s marriage with Janakandini, Rama-Ravana’s battle, Vishnu’s Dasavatar, Kali, Shiva, Rasalila, Devasura’s battle, Narayana’s eternal sleep, etc. There are also terracotta works on various subjects such as cavalry, battle scenes, tigers, deer, sea voyages, dancing girls, etc.
The sanctum has a stone Vasudeva idol, which I was not able to photograph as access to the interior of the temple is not permitted. The four-armed figure holds conch, chakra, mace and lotus. On the left corner of the idol is Narayana and on the right corner is Lakshmi.
Ananta Vasudeva and Haneshwari Temple can be easily visited at the same time as they are right next door to each other. Note that when visiting these temples you have to discard your footwear some distance away near to where the vehicles are parked.
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