Timeless Telkupi: an Unforgettable Heritage of Purulia
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I N S I G H T: An International Multilingual Journal for Arts and Humanities Peer Reviewed and Refereed: ISSN: 2582-8002 University Research Publications, Ernakulam, Kerala VOL 1-ISSUE : 5 JULY 2021 Timeless Telkupi: An Unforgettable Heritage of Purulia Sanjukta De PhD Research Scholar Department of Ancient Indian History and Culture University of Calcutta SACT (Category I) Department of History, Gokhale Memorial Girls’ College Abstract Telkupi is a small village located on the bank of the river Damodar. The village is carrying its age-old Architectural tradition. This area first came under the observation of Archaeological Survey of India in the Colonial period. Beglar was the very first person who visited this place and made a first-hand report. Later time, there are other archaeologists who also try their best to protect the lost history of Telkupi. According to Beglar, there were only 20 temples scattered around Telkupi. Among which only three to four remain intact tough the present condition of those architectures is not so good. This area along with most of its architectural heritage (between 8th to 12th century CE) was submerged between 1956 to 1962 because of the construction of Panchet Dam. In Telkupi, the Jain Architectural site Bhairabathan got popularity and it also attracts the tourists’ interest as well. But in this paper would like to highlight the other temples which also possess some unique features and need a proper restoration. Key Words: Bada: Wall, vertical portion of the wall below the spire of a temple Chhajja: Projecting member serving the purpose of eaves. Gandi: Trunk. Upana: Low plinth of a temple. Located on the border area of two states Jharkhand and West Bengal, specifically on the south bank of the river Damodar, the famous heritage site Telkupi officially comes under the jurisdiction of Raghunathpur II block in Purulia District. Probably the first survey of this place has done back 1951.1 It came out with a result that this village is covering almost 1613 acres of an area. The principal means of livelihood here was obviously agriculture. But apart from farmers, we also find the result of the presence of so many other people who engaged with various other professions like - Bauri, Malakar, Dhivar, Kumbhakar, Gorain, Carmaker, Modak, Dom, Handi, Rajak, Sundi etc. In the first census report, we also get to know about the local public festivals of that place. Couple of 1 I N S I G H T: An International Multilingual Journal for Arts and Humanities Peer Reviewed and Refereed: ISSN: 2582-8002 University Research Publications, Ernakulam, Kerala VOL 1-ISSUE : 5 JULY 2021 them are very popular like - Danda-chhata-parab. According to the folk tales, this particular festival represents the worship of Jagai and Madhai who were functioning as priests. Another very popular festival of Telkupi was Harinam-sankirtan. This festival took place particularly in the month of Vaisakh. Vaishakhi and Karttik Kalipuja was another very famous and well known festival used to celebrate in Telkupi. Durga Puja, the greatest of all festivals also took place in Telkupi. Apart from these major festivals, survey report also conveys that other Festivals also gained popularity in Telkupi like - Siva Puja, Varuni Puja, Sarasvati Puja, Chadak etc. This area basically is famous for its lost Temple-heritage. Most of them have crumbled to dust, but a very few have still survived towering above the rural serene landscape of Purulia district. In this paper would like to talk about the detailed features of three lost architectural gem of Telkupi and how they have managed to increase the lost glory of West Bengal. Telkupi at Present PC: Purulia Tourism 2 I N S I G H T: An International Multilingual Journal for Arts and Humanities Peer Reviewed and Refereed: ISSN: 2582-8002 University Research Publications, Ernakulam, Kerala VOL 1-ISSUE : 5 JULY 2021 The name of the place 'Telkupi' itself is very interesting and has a historical meaning. The term derived from two Sanskrit words. 'Taila' means one kind of tax and 'kampa' means an area or pargana. So 'Telkupi' or 'Tailakampa' stands for an area that was governed as a capital town by a feudal king named Rudrasikhara, who helped famous Pala king Rampala to successfully control the Kaivarta rebellion. From the celebrated historical literature 'Ramcharitamanas', we came to know that Rudrashikhara belongs to the Sikhara Dynasty. For so many years, local people were completely unfamiliar of this place having once been the capital of Sikhara Dynasty.2 Remains of Telkupi PC: ASI, India This area is famous for so many small single standing 'Deulis' or Temple architecture. Unfortunately, Most of them have been submerged due to the construction of the Damodar river barrage by the Damodar Valley Corporation. An American archaeologist Joseph David Beglar visited this place back in the year 1878 and made his first observation and impression as a report to the Archaeological Survey of India. Noticeable thing is Beglar's report does not come with major illustrations of that place. Beglar divided these temple architectures into three broad categories. The first group is the biggest consisting of 13 temples. Among the 13, 5 temples ( no - 3, 4, 7, 8 and 10 ) popularly known as Temples at Bhairavathan. According to W. W. Hunter, indicated this site 'Bhairavathan' is a Jain site with so. 3 I N S I G H T: An International Multilingual Journal for Arts and Humanities Peer Reviewed and Refereed: ISSN: 2582-8002 University Research Publications, Ernakulam, Kerala VOL 1-ISSUE : 5 JULY 2021 Buddhist influence because the sculpture in those temples still venerated by the local people considers as Vira or Mahavira, the 24th Tirthankara.3 Scattered Architectures in Bhairabathan4 are the most comprehensive in Telkupi. But for the Damodar barrage huge stone slabs, fragments of sculptures, detailed ornamentation on stone etc all have gone to the river bed. After Beglar, another renowned Archaeological Surveyor T. Bloch of Bengal Circle visited Telkupi back in 1903 and made a report. The final description of that place is not so clear though and it was just the repetition of Beglar's report. The only addition of this report was mentioning the presence of a couple of other temples in that first group and photographs of those temples. In the year 1969, the Director-General of the Archaeological Survey of India visited Telkupi along with Dr Debala Mitra. They successfully made detailed observation of that area and agreed on Beglar's early report about the three divisions of Temple Architectures. Here would like to focus on the detailed study of three other Temples at Telkupi instead of the celebrated architectural group at Bhairabathan. Those three temples are popularly known as temple 14, 16 and 17 chronologically. The very first temple known as temple no 14 in the report of ASI. But according to the local story, this east facing temple known as Mahanir Deul.5 This Architecture belongs to the other group that was already abandoned at the time of T. Bloch's visit. We don’t notice any idol Inside of the sanctum cella. The Garbhagriha particularly the ceiling portion is finely executed. The most attractive portion of this architecture is the door frame where we see the presence of abhishikta Laxmi on the lintel part. There are several other motifs ornamented in the door jambs. According to N. k. Bose, these motifs are - naga-bandhi, lata-kama, padma-pakhuda. The architectural plan of this particular temple is simple but intriguing as well. Ground plan showing the Tri-ratha base, the bada portion confirms the style. The pabhaga portion of the temple showing the five mouldings - khura, kumbha, pata. Ratha portion of this architecture has been ornamented with a framed niche with aprojecting Chhajja for the parsva-devata. If we minutely observe the ceiling part, one can notice the succession of the Chhajja. The head or the the mastaka portion of the temple consisted of a beki, an analaka shila and an overflowing Kalasa, the khachapuri, over which rises an urn-shaped stone finial. 4 I N S I G H T: An International Multilingual Journal for Arts and Humanities Peer Reviewed and Refereed: ISSN: 2582-8002 University Research Publications, Ernakulam, Kerala VOL 1-ISSUE : 5 JULY 2021 Temple No: 14 ( Mahanir Deul ) PC: ASI, India The next Architecture would like to talk about is exclusively dedicated to the Sun God. This north-east facing number 16 (according to the ASI report) Temple popularly known as Gaonbediyar Deul. Made by sandstone, this architecture is standing on a lean ledge-like simple upana has tri-ratha ground plan. The pabhaga of the bada portion of the architecture has four mouldings - Khura, kumbha, khura and inverted khura. On the middle projection of the jangha on three sides was a khakhra-Mundi designed with a framed niche for parsva devatas. At present, the figure of these parsva devatas are all missing. Projected khura-shaped capital is covering every jamb of the frame. Over the niche part, we observe the two finely cut ornamented Gabakhsha ( Chaitya windows ). These Vertically designed Gabakhshas are divided by a narrow recess. Now if we talk about the Gandi portion of the architecture, we recognize that a khura-shaped moulding is virtually running continuously on three sides of the gandi. The rahapaga on three sides has a central band of detailed interlacings of Chaitya windows engraved by khura-shaped mouldings. In the kanika paga, we see the presence of a three upa-pagas. The innermost which has been touched the raha paga has a set of four mouldings - three khura shaped and the fourth, the topmost, resembling a kumbha.6 Unfortunately, this entire superstructure above the bada had fallen over.