Dashghara

  Dasghara                         

            If you want to see a replica of Kolkata’s Rajbhaban gate, you have to go to Dashghara in Hooghly district. Amidst the lush green Potato field, a red moram road will lead you to the ancestral home of Biswas family. The locality is also known as Biswaspara. A beautiful terracotta temple of late Mughal era, a Dugadalan, an octagonal Rasmancha with slender pillars, a square Dolmancha, a Shiva temple depicts the history of the family’s glorious past. The Pancharatna (Five pinnacles) Gopinath temple is a classic example of artisanship of Bengali Sutradharas (artisans who made terracotta temples).

From late 14^th century, there was a Hindu revival which helps the reformation of popular Bengali cults. Its main impetus came from Mahaprabhu Sri Chaitanya (1486-1533) the exponent of “Gaudiya Vaishnabism”. Nearly all the surviving rich decorated Hindu temple of 16^th and 17^th century are Radha-Krishna temples and Krishnalila (the amorous life of Lord Krishna) was the main subject matter of decoration. The Gopinath temple (1729 A.D) of Dashghara is an example of this form.

The facade of the Pancharatna temple is richly ornate with terracotta carving which depicts the stories of the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and Krisnalila, Nagarsankirtan (wandering about in a town singing holy songs) scene of Gour-Nitai and the social life. Most astonishingly I saw a Mithunmurti (conjugal scene of man &woman) which is rare in this type of temple. The two side walls once enriched with terracotta carvings are now defaced and renovated with cement.

But Biswas family cannot claim all the attraction of Dashghara. Just retrace a few stapes back from Biswaspara and cross the metal road you will see a clock tower.

A famous businessman of Dashghara, Babu Bipin Krishna Roy built with clock tower with an arched gateway in 19^th century which is a lookalike of Rajbhaban. Though the clock has stopped its ticking but it still proclaimed the past glory of Dashghara.  An age old charitable dispensary and a Shiva temple, a weed overgrown garden with marble statues are the other attractions of the place..

How to go: Board on a Tarakeswar local from Howrah  and get down at Tarakeswar. From Tarakeswar bus stand board on a bus for Dashghara. After 12 km bus journey just get down at Bazarpara and  walk along the metal road towards Biswaspara.