Telkupi (or Tailakampi) is a submerged location of archaeological interest in
Purulia district
Purulia district () is one of the twenty-three districts of West Bengal state in Eastern India. Purulia is the administrative headquarters of the district. Some of the other important towns of Purulia district are Raghunathpur- Adra, Manbazar ...
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 ...
,
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 ...
. The area, along with most of the temples situated there, was submerged in 1959 as a consequence to the construction of a dam across
Damodar river
Damodar River (Pron: /ˈdʌmoˌdaː/) is a river flowing across the Indian states of Jharkhand and West Bengal. The valley is rich in mineral resources and is known for large-scale mining and industrial activity. It was also known as the Sorrow o ...
at
Panchet
Panchet is a census town in Nirsa CD block in Dhanbad Sadar subdivision of Dhanbad district in the Indian state of Jharkhand.
History
During construction of dam several ruin of Tilakampa kingdom were submerged in the dam. Telkupi was capital ...
in
Dhanbad district
Dhanbad district is one of the twenty-four districts of Jharkhand States and territories of India, state, India, and Dhanbad is the administrative headquarters of this district. As of 2011, it is the second most populous district of Jharkhand ...
, then in
Bihar
Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...
.
Geography
Location
Telkupi 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.
History
Formerly known as Tailakampi,
Telkupi is the capital of
Rudrasikhara, a local ruler of the area in 11th century, who helped
Pala
Pala may refer to:
Places
Chad
*Pala, Chad, the capital of the region of Mayo-Kebbi Ouest
Estonia
* Pala, Kose Parish, village in Kose Parish, Harju County
* Pala, Kuusalu Parish, village in Kuusalu Parish, Harju County
* Pala, Järva County, ...
king,
Ramapala
Ramapala (r. 1077–1130 CE) was the successor to the Pala king Shurapala II in the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent, and fifteenth ruler of the Pala line.
Early life
Ramapala was the youngest son of Vigrahapala III. His mother was an ...
, to recover
Varendra
Varendra (), also known as Barind (), was an ancient and historical territory of Northern Bengal, now mostly in Bangladesh and a little portion in the Indian state of West Bengal and Eastern Bihar.
It formed part of the Pundravardhana or Pund ...
from Bhima. The royal chronicle of Panchkot Raj of Shikhar dynasty mentions that Rudrashikhara rose to power in 1098 AD.
India historian
Niharranjan Ray
Niharranjan Ray (14 January 1903 – 30 August 1981) was an Indian Bengali historian, well known for his works on the history of art and Indian history.
Early life and education
He was born on 14 January 1903 at Kayetgram village of Mymensingh ...
assumes that he ruled from 1070 to 1120.
Sandhyakar Nandi in his poem
Ramacharitam
The ''Ramacharitam'' is a Sanskrit epic poem written in ''Arya metre'' by a Bengali poet named Sandhyakar Nandi (c. 1084–1155 CE) during the Pala Empire. This work simultaneously narrates the story of the Ramayana and the Pala king Ramapala.It ...
comments that like a wildfire, Rudrasikhara, was an expert in warfare, crushed the pride of the rulers of rivers and mountains.
Tailakampi was a commercial hub in 10th to 13th century. It is believed that most of the temples were funded by the 'Banik' or business people.
Temples
Description by Beglar
In 1878, an Armenian-Indian archeologist
Joseph David Beglar
Joseph David Beglar, or Joseph David Freedone Melik Beglar (1845–1907), was an Armenian-Indian engineer, archaeologist and photographer working in British India and reporting to the Archaeological Survey of India, known for his images of temples ...
, gave the first ever description about the temples of Telkupi in his report to the
Archaeological Survey of India
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexander ...
.
[Alt URL]
/ref> According to his report, the place was full of temples and the number was higher than any other place in the Chota Nagpur Plateau
The Chota Nagpur Plateau () is a plateau in eastern India, which covers much of Jharkhand state as well as adjacent parts of Chhattisgarh, Odisha, West Bengal and Bihar. The Indo-Gangetic plain lies to the north and east of the plateau, and th ...
region. The temples were divided into three clusters, the largest group among them was situated to the north of Telkupi village near the Damodar river, the second group to the west of the village and the third group to the south-eastern part of the village.
First group of temples
* No. 1: This south-facing temple, made of stone, was situated in the northernmost part of the first cluster, consisting of a single cell, with a lingam
A lingam ( , lit. "sign, symbol or mark"), sometimes referred to as linga or Shiva linga, is an abstract or Aniconism, aniconic representation of the Hinduism, Hindu Hindu deities, god Shiva in Shaivism. The word ''lingam'' is found in the Up ...
as the deity of worship inside, situated below the still of entrance. The temple was not much ornamented. Beglar noticed that the upper part of the temple was almost intact at the time of his report.[
* No. 2: This south-facing stone-made temple had a sculpture of ]Gajalakshmi
Gajalakshmi (), also spelt as Gajalaxmi, is a prominent representation of the goddess Lakshmi, the Hindu deity of wealth, prosperity, and fertility, depicted with two elephants on either side. This representation symbolises not only the divine bl ...
over the entrance, with a lingam inside. Beglar found the upper portion of the temple broken and accumulated sand in the cell rose of the still of entrance.[
* No. 3: This west-facing temple, with a lingam inside, was similar to No. 2 temple but Beglar found the upper portion missing and the sill of the entrance buried below accumulated rubbish.][
* No. 4: This east-facing almost-ruined temple had a sculpture of lotus over the entrance and a well-preserved four-armed statue of ]Vishnu
Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...
was inside the temple as the deity of worship.[
* No. 5: This east-facing temple, had a sculpture of ]Ganesha
Ganesha or Ganesh (, , ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped Deva (Hinduism), deities in the Hindu deities, Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in the Ganapatya sect. His depictions ...
over the entrance. Beglar found the upper portion of the temple missing.[
]
Telkupi picture gallery
File:KITLV 88196 - Unknown - Temple at Telkupi in British India - 1897.tif, Unknown temple at Telkupi - photographed by JD Beglar in 1898. Collection: Leiden University Library, Royal Netherlands Institute of South East Asian and Caribbean Studies
File:KITLV 88197 - Unknown - Temple at Telkupi in British India - 1897.tif, Unknown temple at Telkupi - photographed by unknown person in 1897. Collection same as first photograph
File:KITLV 88198 - Unknown - Temple at Telkupi in British India - 1897.tif, Unknown temple at Telkupi - photographed by unknown person in 1897. Collection same as first photograph
References
External links
* – it includes Telkupi
{{Jain centres in West Bengal
Tourist attractions in Purulia district