Located 1km south-east of the center of Sonamukhi in the Bankura district of West Bengal is a small cluster of temples worthy of exploring alongside Sridhar and Chandra Shiv Temples in the town. There are three temples in a locality known as Cinematal Bazarpara, centered around a small patch of open ground which seems to be now focused on the production of modern clay bricks.
The most interesting of these is the Giri Govardhana Temple, with its architectural symbolism paying homage to Govardhan Hill, a sacred Hindu site in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, associated with Lord Krishna. A similar temple I came across in Amika Kalna a few days earlier in the Rajbari complex.
The hill serves as the backdrop for numerous legends related to Lord Krishna’s life, believed to be embodied in the earth of the hill. The temple’s design reflects the idyllic sanctuary of Govardhan Hill, depicting scenes of Krishna and his brother Balarama wandering among groves, pools, caves, and cow-pastures. The waterfalls, garden-grove, water tanks, and flora create an Eden-like setting, showcasing Krishna’s adventures with Radha.
My research on this temple has not been very successful, at least not from any recent resources. The last scholarly mention of the structure would seem to be from the Archaeological Survey of India Annual Report 1922-23, edited by D. Brainerd Spooner, O.B.E., Ph.D.. F.A.S.B.
Here is the full text of the observations made back then :
Sonamukhi, a Railway Station on the Bankura-Damodar line, contains a remarkable modern temple of Giri Govardhan, to which the attention of the Archaeological Superintendent was drawn by the Collector of Bankura.
The well-known story of the lifting of the mountain Govardhan by Krishna to protect the cows and cowherds from the wrath of Indra is represented in sculptures of the medieval period.
The architectural delineation of the story is however rather rare and confined to a few modem examples. From inscriptions painted on the monument we learn that the Sonamukhi temple was built in Saka year 1767 (1836 A. D.) by Visvambhara, the son of Gadadhara-Siromani.
The representation of the hill in the present instance follows broadly the same traditional lines as are familiar to us from the oldest schools of sculpture. Round boulders — here painted over the cement-plastered walls — with wild animals, serpents, peacocks and other birds and with niches serving the purpose of caves, complete the picture of a mountain.
In the same courtyard as the Giri Govardhan temple and facing it is a Siva temple built at the same time. This is of the single-cell type, but is interesting on account of its ribbed dome and the beautiful floral tracery in plaster on the false doorway in the south wall.
As you can see from the images, the Giri Govardhana Temple is not in very good condition, with vegetation engulfing the structure and a tree in the process of ripping it apart. Sadly, this is not an uncommon theme for some of the lesser known temples in West Bengal.
As mentioned in the ASI report, a shiva temple also exists in this open ground that does at least seem to be better cared for.
The final temple to be found here is a little surprising, and for which even less information appears to be available, I don’t even know its name.
This appears to have been a flat roofed temple, sitting on a platform, with a decorated “Chura” (Spire) showcasing a figure praying with folded hands.
The roof has long since collapsed, and it appears as though at one point there was an enclosure wall which has also now disappeared, leaving only the upright pillars of the entrance.
The stucco ornamentation is quite impressive and gives us at least a glimpse of how wonderful this temple must once have looked. There is no foundation stone on the temple that I could find. Now it is completely abandoned, and slowly crumbling away.
Please ‘Like’ or add a comment if you enjoyed this blog post. If you’d like to be notified of any new content, just sign up by clicking the ‘Follow’ button. If you have enjoyed this or any other of my posts, please consider buying me a coffee. There’s a facility to do so on the righthand side of this website for desktop users, and just above the comment section for mobile users. Thank you !
If you’re interested in using any of my photography or articles please get in touch. I’m also available for any freelance work worldwide, my duffel bag is always packed ready to go…
[email protected]
kevinstandagephotography.wordpress.com
