Gokulchand Temple is a 17th-century stone built '' pancharatna'' temple in
Gokulnagar
Gokulnagar is a village in Belgaum district in the southern state of Karnataka, India.Joypur
CD block
In India, a Community development block (CD block) or simply Block is a sub-division of Tehsil, administratively earmarked for planning and development. The area is administered by a Block Development Officer (BDO), supported by several technic ...
in the
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 the
Bankura district
Bankura district (Pron: bãkuɽa) is an administrative unit in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is part of Medinipur division—one of the five administrative divisions of West Bengal. Bankura district is surrounded by Purba Bardhaman dis ...
in the state of
West Bengal
West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the four ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...
.
Geography
Location
Gokulnagar is located at .
Gokulnagar is off the State Highway 2 at Salda.
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.
Malla kings
Malla may refer to: Places
;Bolivia
* Malla, Bolivia, a locality
* Malla Jawira, a river
*Malla Jaqhi, a mountain
* Malla Municipality
* Malla Qullu, a mountain
;India
* Mallapuram, Tamil Nadu
* Malla (tribe), an ancient republic, one of the s ...
. It has turrets on four columns, a kind of ''
chhatri
''Chhatri'' are elevated, dome-shaped pavilions used as an element in Indo-Islamic architecture and Indian architecture. Originating as a canopy above tombs, they serve as decorative elements. The earliest example of chhatri being used in t ...
'', instead of the corner wall sections. Along with the ''
at-chala
The architecture of Bengal, which comprises the modern country of Bangladesh and the Indian states of West Bengal, Tripura and Assam's Barak Valley, has a long and rich history, blending indigenous elements from the Indian subcontinent, with influ ...
'', the ''pancharatna'' is the most popular type of temple in Bengal. With a 45 feet square base, it is built of
laterite
Laterite is both a soil and a rock type rich in iron and aluminium and is commonly considered to have formed in hot and wet tropical areas. Nearly all laterites are of rusty-red coloration, because of high iron oxide content. They develop by ...
with
stucco
Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and a ...
figures. According to the badly damaged temple plate it was built in 1639 (and that obviously goes with a question mark).
This ''pancharatna'' (five-pinnacled) temple at Gokulnagar is the largest stone temple in Bankura district. It is 64 ft. in height and the area of temple complex is 23,500 sq. ft. According to the ASI information board at the temple, it was built in 1643, during the rein of the Malla king, Raghunath Simha. The style of construction of the temple is similar to that of the Shaymaraya temple at Bishnupur. The wall decorations depict various ''avatars'' of ''
Vishnu
Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism.
Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within ...
'' and ''raslila'' motifs and other mythological incidents.
The temple was in a bad shape and plundered till it was taken over by the Archaeological Survey of India in 1996. The idol of Lord Krishna has long been removed to Bishnupur. The complex is abuzz with activity when the idol is brought back for 5 days during Holi and worshipped here.
According to the List of Monuments of National Importance in West Bengal (serial no. N-WB-31) Gokulchand Temple is an ASI listed monument.
Gokulchand Temple picture gallery
File:Gokulchand temple of Gokulnagar in Bankura district (14).jpg, Gokulchand temple
File:Gokulchand temple of Gokulnagar (03).jpg, The central top structure
File:Gokulchand temple of Gokulnagar (05).jpg, A corner structure
File:Gokulchand temple of Gokulnagar (08).jpg, The central top structure doorway
File:Gokulchand temple of Gokulnagar (15).jpg, Roof support
File:Gokulchand temple of Gokulnagar in Bankura district (19).jpg, Natmandir
File:Gokulchand temple of Gokulnagar (81).jpg, Stone relief
File:Gokulchand temple of Gokulnagar (74).jpg, Stone relief
File:Gokulchand temple of Gokulnagar (87).jpg, Stone relief
File:Gokulchand temple of Gokulnagar in Bankura district (04).jpg, Stone relief
File:Gokulchand temple of Gokulnagar in Bankura district (50).jpg, Stone relief
File:Gokulchand temple of Gokulnagar in Bankura district of West Bengal (39).jpg, Stone relief