Dharapat is a village in
Bishnupur subdivision
Bishnupur subdivision is a subdivision of the Bankura district in the state of West Bengal, India.
Subdivisions
Bankura district is divided into the following administrative subdivisions:
Bishnupur subdivision has a density of population of 5 ...
of
Bankura district
Bankura district (Pron: bãkuɽa) is an District#India, administrative unit in the Indian States and territories of India, state of West Bengal. It is part of Medinipur division—one of the five Divisions of West Bengal, administrative divisi ...
in the
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
n
state
State most commonly refers to:
* State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory
**Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country
**Nation state, a ...
of
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 ...
. It is north of
Bishnupur.
Geography
Location
Dharapat is located at .
Note: The map alongside presents some of the notable locations in the subdivision. All places marked in the map are linked in the larger full screen map.
Demographics
As per
2011 Census of India Dharapati had a total population of 1,399 of which 718 (51%) were males and 681 (49%) were females. Population below 6 years was 168. The total number of literates in Dharapati was 772 (62.71% of the population over 6 years).
Education
Dharapat JB Primary School was established in 1960.
Culture
Bankura district was once under the influence of
Jainism
Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religions, Indian religion whose three main pillars are nonviolence (), asceticism (), and a rejection of all simplistic and one-sided views of truth and reality (). Jainism traces its s ...
and a number of Jain relics lie scattered in the district. Jain relics at villages
Sonatapal,
Bahulara, Dharapat,
Harmasra and
Paresnath (near Ambiknagar) are now taken as Hindu relics and some of the intact images are daily worshipped as Hindu deities. The temples at Dharapat and Bahulara villages have naked Jain images, which are known as "Nangta Thakur" or the naked deities. These deities are there along with Hindu deities.
According to a Bengali inscription in the main temple at Dharapat, it was built in 1694 or 1704. The idol is thought to be of Shyama Chand Thakur, commonly known as Nangta Thakur. The temple was built by Advesh, Raja of Dharapat. Barren women of the locality worship at the temple with the hope of bearing a child. The temple came up in place of a plastered laterite structure that had collapsed. The new temple has four small statues of flying lions on its four sides. There are three excellent stone idols in the temple — two Jain deities and Vishnu. All three are on the outer walls. There are a number of abandoned temples in the village. There are some stone relics in Dharapat. One of them, and a very interesting one, is a statue of Parasnath that has been converted into a Vishnu idol by carefully adding two hands. It obviously signifies the overpowering Hindu influence after the decline of Jainism in the area.
See also -
Bengal temple architecture
Bengal temple architecture also known as Malla dynasty architecture is about temple styles developed and used in Bengal, particularly the ''chala'', ''ratna'' and ''dalan'' temples.
Background
According to David J. McCutchion, historically the ...
Dharapat picture gallery
File:Deul of Dharapat (03).jpg, Deul of Dharapat
File:Deul of Dharapat (38).jpg, Statue of Jain Tirthankar on the wall
File:Deul of Dharapat (15).jpg, Statue of Jain Tirthankar on the wall
File:Deul of Dharapat (35).jpg, Statue of Vishnu on the wall
File:Deul of Dharapat (08).jpg, Statue of Jain Tirthankar on the wall
File:Deul of Dharapat (26).jpg, Floral relief
File:Deul of Dharapat (25).jpg, Floral relief
File:Deul of Dharapat (11).jpg, Floral relief
File:Deul of Dharapat (18).jpg, Closer view of the bottom
References
External links
{{Jain centres in West Bengal
Villages in Bankura district