In Hinduism, Hattanath (

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

: হট্টনাথ ''hôṭṭônath'';

Devanagari Devanagari ( ; in script: , , ) is an Indic script used in the Indian subcontinent. It is a left-to-right abugida (a type of segmental Writing systems#Segmental systems: alphabets, writing system), based on the ancient ''Brāhmī script, Brā ...

: हट्टनाथ ''haṭṭanātha''), who is also known as Hatkeshwar (Bengali: হাটকেশ্বর ''haṭkeśśôr''; Devanagari: हाटकेश्वर ''hāṭkeśvara'') or Bateshwar (Bengali: বটেশ্বর ''bôṭeśśôr''; Devanagari: वटेश्वर ''vaṭeśvara''), is the

tutelary deity A tutelary (; also tutelar) is a deity or a Nature spirit, spirit who is a guardian, patron, or protector of a particular place, geographic feature, person, lineage, nation, culture, or occupation. The etymology of "tutelary" expresses the concept ...

of the city of

Sylhet Sylhet (; ) is a Metropolis, metropolitan city in the north eastern region of Bangladesh. It serves as the administrative center for both the Sylhet District and the Sylhet Division. The city is situated on the banks of the Surma River and, as o ...

(''Śrīhaṭṭa'') in present-day

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

. He is a form of

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

Origins and significance

According to Partha Sarathi Nath, Sylhet and the Barak Valley were ruled by the Nātha dynasty of nearby

Tripura Tripura () is a States and union territories of India, state in northeastern India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, third-smallest state in the country, it covers ; and the seventh-least populous state with a populat ...

between the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, which promoted the early settlement of Nāthas and their cultural influence in this region. Among these influences is the patronage of ''Śrīhaṭṭanātha'' as the titular deity, from which the city of Sylhet (Śrīhaṭṭa) ultimately takes its name. The Nāthas are considered to be the founders of the Śrīhaṭṭa ''

janapada The Janapadas () () (c. 1100–600 BCE) were the realms, republics (ganapada) and kingdoms (sāmarājya) of the Vedic period in the Indian subcontinent. The Vedic period reaches from the late Bronze Age into the Iron Age: from about 1500 BCE to ...

'' and were responsible for establishing ''Śrīhaṭṭanātha'' idols across the region. The ruins of a ''Śrīhaṭṭanātha'' temple are preserved in the headquarters of the Central Muslim Literary Society in Sylhet's Dargah Gate, near the hill of Mona Rai (Monarayer Tila). A Shiva temple known as ''Śrīhaṭṭanātha'' from the reign of Isana Deva has been discovered. Mujibur Rahman Chowdhury mentions that the hill was formerly home to an ''

akhara Akhara or Akhada (Hindi: अखाड़ा, romanised: ''Akhāṛā'') is an Indian word for a place of practice with facilities for boarding, lodging and training, both in the context of Indian martial artists or a ''sampradaya'' monastery fo ...

'' for Nātha

Yogi A yogi is a practitioner of Yoga, including a sannyasin or practitioner of meditation in Indian religions.A. K. Banerjea (2014), ''Philosophy of Gorakhnath with Goraksha-Vacana-Sangraha'', Motilal Banarsidass, , pp. xxiii, 297–299, 331 ...

Sannyasi ''Sannyasa'' (), sometimes spelled ''sanyasa'', is the fourth stage within the Hindu system of four life stages known as '' ashramas'', the first three being ''brahmacharya'' (celibate student), '' grihastha'' (householder) and '' vanaprastha ...

s. Other researchers considered Sylhet's titular deity of Hattanath to have been introduced by the

Nagar Brahmin Nagar Brahmin is a Brahmin subcaste from the Indian state of Gujarat. Author T. Sasaki writes, amongst Brahmins of Gujarat, Nagar Brahmins were the most prominent subdivision in the political, economic and social relation, social activities o ...

who worshipped ''Hāṭkeśvara'' and its presence in Sylhet (''Śrīhaṭṭa'') is mentioned in the Mahalingarchana

Tantra Tantra (; ) is an esoteric yogic tradition that developed on the India, Indian subcontinent beginning in the middle of the 1st millennium CE, first within Shaivism and later in Buddhism. The term ''tantra'', in the Greater India, Indian tr ...

. The Nagar Brahmins later settled down in

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...

, which can be supposed from

Padmanath Bhattacharya Padmanath Bhattacharya (; 1868-1938) was an Indian historian. His works generally centred on the ancient Kamrup region.Sabyasachi Bhattacharya (2011), ''Approaches to History: Essays in Indian Historiography'', Page 229 The Padmanath Vidyabinod Me ...

's analysis. Both Hattanath and its alias Hatkeshwar are considered to be idols of

, and they can be found in various parts of the

Sylhet District Sylhet District (), located in north-east Bangladesh, is one of the four districts in Sylhet Division, which contains Sylhet, the regional capital. History Sylhet District was established on 3 January 1782, and until 1878 it was part of Benga ...

such as in Bhatera, Panchakhanda, Gotatikar and Chutkhal. In the 18th-century, Ganesh Ram Shiromani compiled a series of semi-legendary Bengali ballads which claim to detail the early history of Sylhet. Though the book does not hold much authenticity, it is popularly known as the Panchali of Haṭṭanāth, and mention of Sylhet's final Hindu king

Gour Govinda Govinda Fenchu (), better known by his regnal title Gour Govinda () and also known by the sobriquet Shomudro Tonoy (), was the 21st and final king of medieval Sylhet's Gour Kingdom. He is described as a very conservative Hindu ruler whose reign ...

worshipping Haṭṭanāth after returning to Sylhet can be found. Govinda's predecessors were also known to have held convocations to worship Haṭṭanāth, particularly a notable one was held in Brahmachal to rectify those who had deviated from the path of Haṭṭanāth.

References

{{Sylhet District Regional Hindu gods Hinduism in Bangladesh Forms of Shiva Sylhet Division

Origins and significance

See also

References