Sridhar Temple at Sonamukhi
Youtube Link: https://youtu.be/kOeyUPqyim4
References: https://hindutemples-india.blogspot.com/2023/08/sridhar-temple-sonamukhi-west-bengal.html
https://kinjalbose.com/2022/12/12/temples-of-sonamukhi-bankura/
https://sahasa.in/2021/04/08/sridhar-temple-sonamukhi-bankura-district-west-bengal/
Location: “Sridhar
Mandir, bazar, Mahadani Goli, Sonamukhi, West Bengal 722207, India”
Sonamukhi, stands as a
sanctuary for some of Bengal’s most splendid terracotta temples. The place is home to some of the most exquisite
terracotta temples built in Bengal that are widely considered to be far
superior to those seen in nearby Bishnupur.
Sonamukhi derives it names
from the powerful local deity Swarnamukhi Devi with Swarna meaning gold and mukhi meaning face and
literally means gold face or golden face. Sonamukhi has been mentioned as the
village of weavers and an important trading centre for cotton, silk and clothes
in many manuscripts and historical documentation pertaining to the East India
Company.
This temple is located in
the narrow Madani Galli close to Chowrasta in
the centre of the town. It is around 200 meters from the more recently built Swarnamukhi or Subarnamukhi. where puja and offerings are still done. While
the Sridhar temple is situated right on the main road, but it is possible one
misses it, and also, there is no way to park your vehicle in front of the
Sridhar temple. It is therefore advisable to visit the Subarnamukhi temple,
which is also not easy to reach, within the narrow confines of Madani Galli, the left side of main road in chowrasta and then a tricky
left turn where parking is available.
From there you will have to
walk around 200 meters to the old temple from the back side.
Most of the temples seen in
this town were built by the affluent cloth merchants and weavers who had
established themselves centuries ago. Some of these temples are still standing
in the heart of the town but sadly most of them are either in ruins or have
collapsed due to decades of neglect.
Sridhar Temple is a
grand example of the rare panchabingshatiratna (twenty-five
pinnacles or peaks) style.
According to locals, a
rich devout weaver, Kanai Rudra wished to build a magnificent temple in honour
of Lord Vishnu and employed Hari Sutradhar. a rich devout weaver,
Kanai Rudra wished to build a magnificent temple in honour of Lord Vishnu and
employed Hari Sutradhar. He conveyed the same to Hari and told him not to
spare any expense and instead to make it more extravagant. Hari Sutradhar took
this as the command of the Lord and painstakingly covered the entire temple
structure with the most stunning terracotta work seen at that time.
This west-facing temple was
built in 1845 with every façade and pillar covered with terracotta relief work.
As far as the architecture
of Sridhar Temple of Sonamukhi is concerned there is a slight deviation from
the other four panchabingswati ratna temples.
Not only it is a double storied structure but also the spires are arranged in
12+12+1 format. In the first place there are three spires on each side which
comes to twelve and the same thing is there in the second one also followed by
the central spire. This temple is also the last of such type of unique temples
to be built in Bengal.
The sanctum sanctorum has
a Shaligram of
Lord Sridhar. The sheer range of themes and subjects that have been depicted on
the panels is staggering and will take hours to study. There are scenes from
the Ramayana, Mahabharat and Puranas, Krishna
Leela, musicians, dancers, social life, animals, birds, foreigners,
floral and geometric motifs, the marriage of Lord Shiva, birth of Brahma from
the navel of Lord Vishnu, Durga Devi as Mahishasura
Mardini and sages and saints. The work on the front two
pillars is breathtaking and stands as a testimony to the unparalleled finesse
and skill of the artisans.
The terracotta figurines are
lively and has more or less retained their form. This temple is not an ASI
protected monument like the other three such temples in Kalna.
All the four sides of
this mandir has
excellent terracotta works. But one can photograph only the western and the
southern side of the temple as the other two sides creates obstruction – one
being the boundary wall of another house.
Talking about the
Subarnamukhi temple, the brick-built flat-roofed dalan temple has undergone
renovation in recent times.The temple is close to Sridhar Temple and is
situated in the middle of the town. Inside the temple there is the idol of the
goddess smeared in vermillion. There is a popular saying that the place got its
name from the name of the goddess. It is also said that during the raids by the
Marathas, Maratha leader Bhaskar Pandit worshiped this idol.
Sitala temple
here is unique in the
sense that it is a dalan (flat
roofed) temple with a ridged pancha
ratna structure. The temple looks quite old.
Religious significance
The temple is considered as
one of the five Panchabimshati temples in West Bengal, which are:
1)
Ksrihna Chandra temple, at Kalna
2)
Gopal ji temple, Kalna
3)
Lalji temple, Kalna
4)
Sridhar temple, Sonamukhi
5)
Ananda Bhairabi temple, Sukharia.
How to reach:
By Bus: The temple is located around 150 meters from the
Sonamukhi Bazar bus stand
By Train: Sonamukhi Railway station is around 2 KMs from the
temple and 31 KMs from Bishnupur
By Air: The nearest airport is Durgapur which is around 58
KMs from the temple.
Nearby places to
visit:
1)
Bishnupur (35 km): Renowned
for its extensive terracotta temples like Rasmancha and
Jor Bangla.
2)
Kamarpukur
& Joyrambati (approx. 20-30 km): Spiritual sites
associated with Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and Sarada Devi.
3) Durgapur
(approx. 40-50 km): Known for the Durgapur Barrage
Photography
and Parking
Parking as discussed above
is very difficult and should be done at the Subarnamukhi temple.
Photography is completely
allowed. Drone can also be used in the Sridhar temple.