Kantanagar Temple, commonly known as Kantaji Temple or Kantajew Temple () at Kantanagar,
is a
Hindu temple
A Hindu temple, also known as Mandir, Devasthanam, Pura, or Kovil, is a sacred place where Hindus worship and show their devotion to Hindu deities, deities through worship, sacrifice, and prayers. It is considered the house of the god to who ...
in
Dinajpur,
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 ...
. The Kantajew Temple is a religious edifice belonging to the 18th century. The temple belongs to the Hindu Kanta or Krishna and this is most popular with the
Rukmini
Rukmini (, ) is a Devi, Hindu goddess and the first queen of Krishna. She is described as the chief of Krishna's wives in Dvārakā. Rukmini is revered as the avatar of Lakshmi and is venerated primarily in Warkari, and Haridasa tradition, and ...
-
Krishna
Krishna (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God (Hinduism), Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, c ...
devotees (assemble of memorable love) in
Bengal
Bengal ( ) is a Historical geography, historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Benga ...
. This temple is dedicated to Krishna and his wife Rukmini. Built by Maharaja Pran Nath, its construction started in 1704 CE and ended in the reign of his son Raja Ramnath in 1722 CE.
It is an example of
terracotta architecture in Bangladesh and once had nine spires, but all were destroyed in an earthquake that took place in 1897.
Journey plus - Dinajpur
.
Architecture
The temple was built in a navaratna (nine-spired) style before the destruction caused by the earthquake of 1897. The characteristic features of the erections are the four centered and wide multi-cusped arches, the plastered surface of the walls having immense rectangular and square panelings, prominence of the central archway and the central mihirab by making the slightly larger and setting in a projected fronton in the outside directions, the use of ornamental turrets on the either side of the fronton, the semi-octagonal mirirab apertures, the archway opening under half-domes, the Persian muqarnas work in stucco inside the half-domes over the entrance arches and mihrab niches, the bulbous outline of the domes with constructed necks, domes on octagonal drums with lotus and kalasa finials as the crowning elements, the round pendentives to make up the phase of transition for the domes and the multi-faced corner towers rising high above the horizontal merloned parapets.
Gallery
File:Kantajew Temple Comparison.JPG, Comparison
File:2.কান্তনগর মন্দির.jpg
File:1. কান্তনগর মন্দির.jpg, Top view of the temple
File:Kantajew Temple-front.jpg, Temple front
File:RadhaKrishn Statue in Kantajew Temple.jpg, Rukmini-Krishna statue in Kantajew Temple
File:Kantaji Temple Dinajpur Bangladesh (10).JPG
File:Kantaji Temple Dinajpur Bangladesh (27).JPG, Terracotta
File:Kantaji Temple Dinajpur Bangladesh (21).JPG, Terracotta designs on columns near the entrance
File:Kantaji Temple Dinajpur Bangladesh (19).JPG, Terracotta designs outside the temple
File:Kantajew Temple-Terracotta (পোড়ামাটির ফলক).jpg, Terracotta
File:Kan-temple-description.jpg, Description of the temple
See also
* Architecture of Bangladesh
* List of archaeological sites in Bangladesh
* Nayabad Mosque, reputedly built by the architects of Kantajew temple, for their own use
References
External links
*
{{Hindu temples in Bangladesh
Krishna temples
Hindu temples in Dinajpur district
18th-century Hindu temples
Religious buildings and structures completed in 1752
Archaeological sites in Dinajpur District, Bangladesh