Brindaban Chandra's Math, or Brindaban Chandra Math, is a complex of 17th–18th century temples at

Guptipara Guptipara is a village in Balagarh, a community development block that forms an administrative division in the Sadar subdivision of the Hooghly district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Geography Guptipara sits beside the Hooghly River ...

Hooghly district Hooghly district () is one of the districts of the Indian state of West Bengal. It can alternatively be spelt ''Hoogli'' or ''Hugli''. The district is named after the Hooghly River. The headquarters of the district are at Hooghly-Chinsurah (' ...

in the

Indian state India is a federal union comprising 28 states and 8 union territories, for a total of 36 subnational entities. The states and union territories are further subdivided into 800 districts and smaller administrative divisions by the respe ...

West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...

Geography

Location

Guptipara is 74.6 km from Howrah station on the Howrah-Katwa line. Those travelling by road from Kolkata can get on to State Highway 6 from somewhere suitable in Howrah district, and travel to Guptipara via

Jirat Jirat is a census town located in Hooghly district, Hooghly District in the Indian States and territories of India, State of West Bengal. Geography Location Jirat is situated under Balagarh (community development block), Balagarh Block. Ba ...

. Note: The map presents some of the notable locations in the subdivision (partly). All places marked in the map are linked in the larger full-screen map.

The temples

Arranged in a quadrangle, enclosed within a high wall in the Brindaban Chandra Math, are the four temples dedicated to ''Chaitanyadev'' (

Chaitanya Chaitanya or Chaithanya may refer to Philosophy *Chaitanya (consciousness), Hindu philosophical concept People *Chaitanya (name) *Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486–1533), founder of Gaudiya Vaishnavism Media *Chaitanya (film), ''Chaitanya'' (film), ...

Nityananda Nityananda (, ; c. 1474-c. 1540), also called Nityananda Prabhu and Nitai, was a primary religious figure within the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition of Bengal. Nityananda was Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's friend and disciple. Chaitanya and Nityananda are ...

), ''Brindabanchandra'' (

Radha-Krishna Radha-Krishna (IAST , ) is the combined form of the Hindu god Krishna with his chief consort and ''shakti'' Radha. They are regarded as the feminine as well as the masculine realities of God, in several Krishnaite traditions of Vaishnavism. In ...

and

Jagannath Jagannath (; formerly ) is a Hindu deity worshipped in regional Hindu traditions in India as part of a triad along with (Krishna's) brother Balabhadra, and sister, Subhadra. Jagannath, within Odia Hinduism, is the supreme god, '' Purushot ...

), ''Ramchandra'' (

Rama Rama (; , , ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the seventh and one of the most popular avatars of Vishnu. In Rama-centric Hindu traditions, he is considered the Supreme Being. Also considered as the ideal man (''maryāda' ...

Sita Sita (; ), also known as Siya, Jānaki and Maithili, is a Hindu goddess and the female protagonist of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. Sita is the consort of Rama, the avatar of god Vishnu, and is regarded as an avatar of goddess Lakshmi. She is t ...

Lakshmana Lakshmana (, ), also known as Laxmana, Lakhan, Saumitra, and Ramanuja, is the younger brother of Rama in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He is considered as an incarnation of Shesha, the lord of serpents. Lakshmana was married to Urmila, and i ...

and

Hanuman Hanuman (; , ), also known as Maruti, Bajrangabali, and Anjaneya, is a deity in Hinduism, revered as a divine ''vanara'', and a devoted companion of the deity Rama. Central to the ''Ramayana'', Hanuman is celebrated for his unwavering devotio ...

) and ''Krishnachandra'' (Radha-Krishna). According to David McCutchion, the '' jor-bangla'' temple of Chaitanya in the Brindaban Chandra Math is the earliest ''Bangla''-style temple still standing. It was built during the reign of

Akbar Akbar (Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar, – ), popularly known as Akbar the Great, was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Humayun, under a regent, Bairam Khan, who helped the young emperor expa ...

(1542–1605). The ''at-chala'' Brindabanchndra temple was built in 1801. The ''eka-ratna'' Ramchandra temple was built in the 17th century. The last temple has a rich terracotta

façade A façade or facade (; ) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loanword from the French language, French (), which means "frontage" or "face". In architecture, the façade of a building is often the most important asp ...

. The Bridaban Chandra Math complex at Guptipara is an ASI listed monument.

Brindaban Chandra’s Math picture gallery

File:The temple complex in Guptipara.jpg, The temple complex File:Chaitanya Deva temple at Brindaban Chandra's Math -- Guptipara.jpg, Chaitanya temple File:Brindaban Chandra's Math ( Guptipara, Hooghly).jpg, Ramchandra temple File:Brindabanchandra Temple.jpg, Brindaban Chandra temple File:Krishnachandra Temple.jpg, Krishnachandra temple File:Ram Chandraji temple of Guptipara in Hooghly district 08.jpg, Terracotta in Ramchandra temple File:Ram Chandraji temple of Guptipara in Hooghly district 17.jpg, Terracotta in Ramchandra temple File:Ram Chandraji temple of Guptipara in Hooghly district 09.jpg, Terracotta in Ramchandra temple File:Colorful floral designs adorns the huge doors of the temple.jpg, Design around door File:Details of Brindaban Chandra's Math.jpg, The information board

References

Hindu temples in West Bengal Monuments of National Importance in West Bengal {{India-hindu-temple-stub