| Historical
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Saidabad
| | Located
between Berhampur and Murshidabad, Saidabad is another town of historical interest.
Armenian merchants traded in Murshidabad since 1665, and the Armenian Church was
built in the town in 1758. A number of Armenian graves can be found within the
church compound. Many ancient Hindu temples of Lord Shiva also abound around this
Church. The Kunjaghata Palace, very close to Saidabad's Gorabazaar,
belonged to Maharaja Nanda Kumar's son-in-law. The Maharaja and his family stayed
at the Kunjaghata Palace in 1755 and his personal belongings, including his letters,
shawl and sword are among a wide range of personal effects preserved here. An
outstanding article in this collection is an oil painting of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu,
created and presented to Nanda Kumar during the former's lifetime.
The Kunjaghata Palace is somewhat dilapidated. Nevertheless, the Palace's unique
Durgadalan is still intact. The palace has Hindu icons of Shiva, Lakshmi-Narayan
and Vrindavanchandra in its temples. | |
Hetampur
| | These
Birbhum towns are rich with landmarks from ancient Bengal. Birbhum's oldest college,
Krishnachandra College is at Hetampur. The college was formerly the Ranjan Palace
of Raja Ramranjan Chakrabarty of Murshidabad. Hetampur, Birsinghpur and
Rajnagar have relics of the Hindu Rajas of Birbhum. The ruins of Raja Birsingh's
palace are at Birsingpur.These towns of Birbhum are best visited from Siuri and
Dubrajpur. | |
Hijli
| | Hijli
is an ancient seaport of Midnapur, enriched by Muslim and British history. Job
Charnock, the founder of the British settlement in Calcutta, defeated the local
forces here in 1687, planting the first seed of British colonial control in India.
Located at the confluence of Rasulpur and Hooghly rivers, Hijli overlooks
an extremely wide stretch of water. It can be reached by ferry from Dariapur,
which lies on the north across the Hooghly. The Sagar Islands are also opposite
Hijli. Among other attractions, Hijli has the Masnad-I-Ala-Masjid,
which was built around 1648-49. A visit to Hijli is also provides an opportunity
to see the 400-year old Joramandir of Jagganath or Twin Temples of the Lord of
the Universe. | |
Jamboni
| | Jamboni,
in west Midnapur, is 13 km. from Jhargram. Its primary attraction is the Jungle
Mahal Fort, hidden in the deep recess of tropical rain forests.
The ancient Kanak Durga Mandir, reconstructed in 1348, is also worth a visit.
The guardian deity of this Temple, Devi Kanak Durga, is a three-eyed, four-armed
personification of the Godess. At one time human sacrifices were offered at this
Temple. Today, goats and buffaloes continue to be sacrificed on navami, or the
ninth day of the lunar month. | |
Maynagarh
| | The
moat-enclosed capital of the Buddhist King, Mahavir Lausen, Maynagarh is linked
with the history of ancient Bengal. The moat was a natural one, made up of three
tributaries of the River Ganga - Kansabati in the north-east, Keliaghai in the
south and Chandiya in the west. Only few traces of its ancient grandeur however
remain. Today Maynagarh is the site of elaborate local celebrations
of the Hindu Vaishnav Raas Lila Festival, which is a celebration of divine caprice
of Lord Krishna, an incarnation of Vishnu. The Raas Lila is a week long festival.
A nocturnal pageant marks the start of celebrations. A glittering pageant boat
of bright lights brings Shyamasundar, or Krishna, to the arena of his Raas or
joi de vivre. The celebrations represent romanticised religious faith, lore and
rituals. There are no overnight rest facilities at Maynagarh. The
closest accommodation is at Tamluk, 16 km. away. |
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Shilda | | Nine
kilometres from Gidhni, Shilda is in the Jhargram-Belpahari forest circuit of
west Midnapur. The town was the nexus of a tribal rebellion by the Chuars. Shilda
is also a town with ancient princely fortresses, temple ruins and the Shilda Lake.
The Bhairav Mela of Shilda is a unique ethnic event. The mela, or fair, is
held every dasami, or tenth day of the Hindu calendar. The rhythms of tribal drums
are the salient features of the Bhairav Fair. Two kinds of drums are used. The
Dhamasa and the Madal drums are played from eventide. As the drumbeats unfold
in the descending darkness, people from the adjoining areas begin to arrive at
Shilda. Late in the night, folk goddess Ranakim is brought from Bihar's border
town, Ghatshila to join the Bhairavs at Shilda. The Bhairavs are Hindu Shakta
sanyasis devoted to Lord Shiva. | |
Tamluk
| | Tamluk
was one of the capitals of the ancient kingdom of Bengal. Today there are two
significant landmarks in the town. The Bargabhima Mandir of Tamluk has
a very old icon of the Hindu Goddess Tara. This temple is the site of an annual
Baruni Mela. The fair is held at Paush Sankranti, which celebrates the end of
the Bengali month of Paush, in the middle of January. The Tamralipta
Museum at Tamluk contains artefacts of tamra or copper. Inscribed copper templates
comprise the documents of this museum. The museum has preserved a tamralipta of
Greek inscriptions. The Tamralipta Museum preserves the historical heritage of
Bengal. A northbound bus from Digha to Mecheda stops at Tamluk.
The town has modest overnight accommodation. | |
Bagnan
| | The
Temple of Madangopaljiu in the Mellak village is of considerable archaeological
interest. Built in 1651 AD, the temple contains early specimens of terracotta
art. | | <Next
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