Jatar Deul

Monument in West Bengal, India

21°59′33″N 88°29′15″E / 21.99250°N 88.48750°E / 21.99250; 88.48750ArchitectureDate established10th -11th centuryCompleted10th -11th centuryElevation30 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]

Location

The Jatar-Deul stands isolated on a small hill 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

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

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