Ichhai Ghosher Deul is located near

Gourangapur Gourangapur is a village in Kanksa CD block in Durgapur subdivision of Paschim Bardhaman district in the Indian state of West Bengal. The place has links with Ichhai Ghosh, king of Gopbhum, and it is believed that his capital, Dhekur, was located ...

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 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 a late mediaeval brick-built temple of the sikhara type without any image. Tradition says that Ichai Ghosh constructed the temple in honour of the Goddess Bhagabati. However, this type of brick temple seen at Neiba Khera,

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

Location

The Ichai-Ghosh-temple is largely isolated by the river Ajay in the vicinity of the locality

in the

Paschim Bardhaman district Paschim Bardhaman district is a predominantly urban mining-industrial district in West Bengal. The headquarter of the district is Asansol. It was formed on 7 April 2017 after bifurcation of the erstwhile Bardhaman district as the 23rd distric ...

, about 178.5 km (driving distance) north of

Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...

. Whether it has been in the vicinity of the temple, formerly a village, or whether the temple was a regional pilgrimage center, is unclear.

History

The date of construction of the temple is unclear. It may date from 7th to 11th century or 16th to18th century. According to tradition, Ichai Ghosh constructed it in honour of the Goddess Bhagabati. According to

Binoy Ghosh Binoy Ghosh (14 June 1917 – 24 July 1980) was a journalist, sociologist, writer, literary critic and researcher. His ''Paschim Banger Sanskriti'' won the Rabindra Puraskar in 1959.Sengupta, Subodh Chandra and Bose, Anjali (editors), 1976/1998, ...

, Ichhai Ghosher Deul, located at Gourangapur, is one of the few rekha deuls in Bengal. Scholars date it around 16th-17th century and it was possibly erected by the descendants of Ichhai Ghosh, to perpetuate his memory. David J. McCutchion mentions Ichhai Ghoser Deul at Gourangapur as a large smooth curvilinear rekha deul, having a base of 20 feet square. It is a plain brick structure but for niches and images on tower. According to the

List of Monuments of National Importance in West Bengal This is a list of Monuments of National Importance (ASI) as officially recognized by and available through the website of the Archaeological Survey of India in the Indian state West Bengal.

, the Ichhai Ghosh Temple is an ASI listed monument.

Architecture

The temple is about 18 m high. It has an windowless

Cella In Classical architecture, a or naos () is the inner chamber of an ancient Greek or Roman temple. Its enclosure within walls has given rise to extended meanings: of a hermit's or monk's cell, and (since the 17th century) of a biological cell ...

(

garbhagriha A ''garbhagriha'' () is the innermost sanctuary of Hindu and Jain temples, often referred to as the "holy of holies" or " sanctum sanctorum". The term ''garbhagriha'' (literally, "womb chamber") comes from the Sanskrit words ''garbha'' for ...

). Its basement is almost square.

Building Decoration

The austere round-arched portal, is of a rectangular frame enclosed; each of the two niches in of ''

amalaka An amalaka (), is a segmented or notched stone disk, usually with ridges on the rim, that sits on the top of a Hindu temple's shikhara or main tower. According to one interpretation, the amalaka represents a lotus, and thus the symbolic seat for ...

'' and ''

kalasha A kalasha, also called Pūrṇa-Kalaśa, Pūrṇa-Kumbha, Pūrṇa-Ghaṭa, also called ghat or ghot or kumbh ( , Telugu: కలశము Kannada: ಕಳಶ literally "pitcher, pot"), is a metal (brass, copper, silver or gold) pot with a large ...

'' - crowned fields of the upper Zone show on all four sides of polyfoil arches and not further identifiable figures of gods. Bright plaster residue on the outer walls point to the fact that the temple was temporarily plastered.

Ichhai Ghoser Deul picture gallery

File:Deul Temple (Temple of Bhagabati constructed by Ichai Ghosh).jpg File:WLM@WB-Temple of Ichai Ghosh 01.jpg File:Deul of Icchai Ghosh at Gourangopur, Kanksha block in Burdwan 10.jpg File:Deul of Icchai Ghosh at Gourangopur, Kanksha block in Burdwan 15.jpg, sculpture on the outer walls of Ichhai Ghoser Deul File:Deul of Icchai Ghosh at Gourangopur, Kanksha block in Burdwan 14.jpg, sculpture on the outer walls of Ichhai Ghosher Deul File:Deul of Icchai Ghosh at Gourangopur, Kanksha block in Burdwan 19.jpg, sculpture on the outer walls of Ichai Ghosher deul

References

External links

''Ichai-Ghosh-Temple – photos + Short Infos''
(English) {{Hindu temples in West Bengal Hindu temples in West Bengal Monuments of National Importance in West Bengal Tourist attractions in Paschim Bardhaman district Buildings and structures in Paschim Bardhaman district