Tour De "Mana" (Chandrakona)

After couple of consecutive delays finally I have managed to make a trip to Chandrakona. Thanks to Sumana for her indecisiveness and rickshaw-bills. I must admit it was ten times more than what she owed me since 2006.  

It was day full of +ves and –ves. Considering a delay due to a tire puncture of the bus and a sleepless night before (means I was already tired by the time I reached Chandrakona), a breakfast of 3 samosas at 11 but no lunch and half-day long search for a decent toilet and finally finding one in a Gurudwara (No offence meant to any religious belief) my trip was more than satisfactory.

Let’s get into the lesion.  (With help of Wiki.)

Chandrakona got its name from  Chandraketu, the founder of the kingdom of Chandrakona.  Previously  it was mentioned as ‘Mana’ (and from where Sumana got her name).  ‘Mana’ came into prominence during the late 7 century Malla dynasty mainly due to its proximity to Puri route. It was the days of Matsyanyay ( In situation like in a pond where Big fishes eating small fishes). The political stability required for Chandrakona's way as came during a Rajput contingent, Indraketu, established almost independent rule here in the early 15th century. At about the same time another Rajput, Gajapati Singh, assumed the rule of Bagri, lying west of Chandrakona. These two tiny kingdoms fought each other several times during the next centuries, so that their family trees and fate became inextricably entangled. Chandrakona thrived during the century-long rule of the Ketu kings. The town probably got its name from the third of them.

No, I am not trying to teach history. I am writing so that you guys don’t ask me any questions about the subjects I have shot. But before taking any snap I have to meet Sumana as she was supposed to carry my jacket.

As soon as we met Sumana wasted no time (I had to wait  for only 15 minutes in spite of giving a wakeup call and location updates at each 15 minutes)  to take me to the The Pancharatna Temple of Malleswar Mahadev.

The Temple of Malleswar was first built by Khoira Molla and ransacked by Kala Pahar and  rebuilt by Raja Kirti Chandra of Burdwan during the early 18th century.  The 5 roof architecture or Pancharatna style was is an indigenous Bengal like the Char-Chala and At-chala. There are some temples which have influence of Rekha Deul an Odissi architecture. These kinds of Odissi influences are seen in temples in Bankura and western parts of Midnapur (Dantan) as these areas were close to the route providing connection with Odisa.

“In the floor inside is a hollow about 2 and half feet deep, the upper edge being built of masonry, while the basin is made up of laterite slabs. The slabs have two openings or crevices, through which water flows, apparently from a spring or springs, and it is said, fills the hollows on particular nights. This has been observed in other sacred places; for example in the temple of Loknath at Puri, where the basin in which the linga stands is filled with water except on the Shivaratri day, when it is baled out and the linga exposed.”

http://www.hindubooks.org/temples/bengal/midnapore/page15.htm

The next temple was a Navaratna one at Mitrasenpur. Before we could reach there, we met couple of relatives and friends of Sumana and each time she had to clarify that I was not her Husband ( God knows what impression she has made upon them!). 

The temple known as Shantinath Temple of Dharmaraj, built in 1828, is decorated with teracotta plates, decaying daily, depicting events from the Mahabharata and the Avatars of Vishnu. Once each of the 4 walls were decorated with Teracottas, but, due to ageing and lack of interest from the government and locals they remains on a single wall and that too in a miserable condition. Couple of years back government was serious enough to rebuild an At-Chala (Jor-banglow) and it lost all its charm (Dhruba Mukhejee can explain more on this as I haven’t seen how it was before the renovation. But I can assure you that the view is poor enough to put on FB album.).

“Mitrasenpur is named after Mitrasen, the last of the Bhan rulers of Chandrakona, who, along with his mother Lakshmanabati, is remembered fondly by the town. While Mitrasen has a quarter of the town named after him, Lakshmanabati is remembered for the large tank she had excavated at the heart of the town, still known as 'Rajar Mayer Pukur'--the tank of the king's mother.” – Dhruba Mukherjee.

Like its more famous neighbor Bishnupur, Chandrakona may also be termed a temple town. There are hundreds of new and old temples in Chandrakona. Many are abandoned and some are in utter ruin and covered with shrubs. This one is a Shitola temple in the middle of a paddy field. Initially, I haven’t planned for visiting this temple as it didn’t featured into the list suggested by Dhruba Mukherjee but a local had advised me to visit there. And I am glad that I did though didn’t enjoy the sight completely.

This one too had its walls covered with teracotta plates. A sad spectacle now, isn't it?

  

It was an unusually hot and sunny noon in late December and I was tired. Wasn’t enjoying clicking anymore, nor the sun was at its right position for shooting when I reached the Raj-Bari. The major portion of the Garh is in ruin. Only recognizable place is its temple complex.

“This temple complex holds a very special place in the history and social life of Chandrakona. It was part of Raghunathgarh, the citadel of the Bhan rulers. The topmost show the almost completely ruined Rekha-Deul of Raghunath Jiu, and the Jagmohan in front of it. Anyone who has visited Puri will notice that the temple with the Jagmohan is a small-scale execution of the famous Jagannath Temple. The complex is large enough, and if renovated properly, this deity-less temple complex is sure to become a beauty-spot of Chandrakona.

It was one of the three fortifications built by the Bhans...the other two being Ramgarh and Lalgarh, which are not in existence any longer. Kirti Chandra of Burdwan demolished them in the early eighteenth century.” – Dhruba Mukherjee.

I was back from Gurudwara and had a Coke while chatting with Sumana and Aninda (A gentle soul who loves to talk). Have covered the list provided by Dhruba Mukherjee. As I had ample time to return and Aninda Goswami was free we rode to Neel Kuthi. 

The structure I have photographed used to be the 'hazkhana' where they processed the infamous dye. The planters themselves lived some distance away. Their 'kuthi' has disappeared.

At Raghunath Garh, I met a group of 3 boys’ playing cards behind the Temple. I have almost frightened them as I took this shot. The first question they asked if I was going to provide this photo to the police? I enquired if they were gambling, in reply.  No, they didn’t run. They are not SHYAMLALs. Even those illiterates have a sense of humor.

The Lingam Of Shiva And The Taj

The Lingam is a symbol for the worship of the Hindu deity Shiva. The use of this symbol for worship is an ancient tradition in India extending back at least to the early Indus Valley civilization. The interpretation of what the symbol represents is the source of much debate.

There are two basic interpretations of what the Shiva Lingam actually is. The first is that God, being ultimately formless, is represented by a formless image, the Lingam. One meaning of the word “lingam” is “sign” and therefore the Lingam is a “sign” of the formless nature of God. The second interpretation is that the Lingam is a symbolic phallus and that the stand which holds the Lingam is the female organ, and therefore the Lingam sitting within its stand is a symbolism for cosmic union and creation. Naturally, this latter interpretation is offensive to many worshippers, but given the imagery of ancient Hinduism with its elaborate sexual depictions found on many temple towers (gopurams) in South India, the phallic interpretation of the Shiva Lingam is not out of the question, especially given that another meaning of the word lingam is “male organ.”

Swami Vivekananda was one of the most vocal against the second type of interpretations.vSwami Vivekananda gave a lecture at the Paris Congress of the History of Religions in 1900 during which he refuted the statements of some Western scholars that referred to Shiva linga as phallic worship. Vivekananda's words at the congress were in connection with the paper read by Mr.Gustav Oppert, a German Orientalist, who tried to trace the origin of the Shalagrama-Shila and the Shiva-Linga to phallicism. To this Vivekananda objected, adducing proof from the Vedas, and particularly the Atharva-Veda Samhita, to the effect that theShiva-Linga had its origin in the idea of the Yupa-Stambha or Skambha—the sacrificial post, idealized in Vedic ritual as the symbol of the Eternal Brahman. According to Vivekananda, the explanation of the Shalagrama-Shila as a phallic emblem was an imaginary invention. Vivekananda argued that the explanation of the Shiva-Linga as a phallic emblem was brought forward by the most thoughtless, and was forthcoming in India in her most degraded times, those of the downfall of Buddhism.

According to Swami Sivananda,

The popular belief is that the Siva Lingam represents the phallus or the virile organ, the emblem of the generative power or principle in nature. This is not only a serious mistake, but also a grave blunder. In the post-Vedic period, the Linga became symbolical of the generative power of the Lord Siva. Linga is the differentiating mark. It is certainly not the sex-mark. You will find in theLinga Purana: Pradhanam prakritir yadahur-lingamuttamam; Gandhavarnarasairhinam sabda-sparsadi-varjitam—The foremost Linga which is primary and is devoid of smell, colour, taste, hearing, touch, etc., is spoken of as Prakriti (Nature).

If we try to look deeper into the evolution of the concept of Shiva we can found out why Swamiji was annoyed with the interpretation. First we begin with the literal meaning of lingam. The Sanskrit term liṅgaṃ, transliterated as linga has many meanings, including a mark, sign or characteristic. It has a number of specific uses in Sanskrit that are derived from this general meaning. Vaman Shivram Apte's dictionary gives seventeen other definitions of the term, including :

• A false or unreal mark; a disguise
• A symptom or mark of disease
• A spot or stain
• A means of proof, a proof, evidence
• The sign of gender or sex
• Sex
• The male organ of generation
• Grammatical gender
• The genital organ of Shiva worshipped in the form of a phallus.
• Image of a god; an idol
• The subtle frame or body, the indestructible original of the gross or visible body (in Vedanta philosophy)

Along with the basic meaning of lingam as "mark, spot, sign .. [or] characteristic”.
This clearly indicates that there is a possibility that the interpretation might be incorrect.

The Shvetashvara Upanishada is the first to allude to 'linga' as Shiva's aniconic symbol, and the Grahasutras to installing and worshipping his idols. They are the first to refer to him as Shiva and Shankara. As becomes obvious from numerous allusions in the Mahabharata, in epic days Shiva was a powerful deity and his idols and 'lingas' were in popular worship. In his Arthashashtra, Kautilya talks of Shiva-temples. The Arthashashtra is estimated to date sometime in between fourth to third century B. C., that is, by then Shiva had regular shrines, and various anthropomorphic idols representing his different aspects and various 'linga' icons for such shrines. The humped bull Nandi was yet one of the most sacred Shaivite symbols but was now no more his theriomorphic representation. It was now his vehicle.

Ancient coins, particularly those from Taxila and Ujjaini, and a Mathura relief, now in Government Museum, Lucknow, added further dimensions to his iconic visualization. It is in these artefacts that tree emerged in the Shaivite tradition and installing 'linga' under a tree came to be considered as more sacred.

Shiva as 'linga' - his aniconic unmanifest form, has thus a wider presence in Shaivite tradition than have his anthropomorphic forms. Besides 'shishna-deva', the Rig-veda talks of 'hiranya-vetasa' - the golden pillar. The 'hiranya-vetasa' pre-conceives the subsequent 'Jyotirlinga' - the pillar of light, and also the pillar conceived by Linga Purana as consisting of thousands of clusters of flames. This pillar with thousands of clusters of flames manifests in subsequent 'Shahastralinga'- the 'linga' composed of a thousand 'lingas', as also in Shiva's thousand-eyed anthropomorphic form. The Atharva Veda speaks of the Lord as 'maha-skambha'- the great pillar. There also occurs in Vedic literature the term 'sthanu'- post, the seed, the fire-seed - root of all created things.

Thus, by Vedic era itself, the tradition had begun perceiving the Lord as 'linga', the 'linga' as pillar, the pillar as the column of light, that is, as 'Jyotirlinga', and 'jyotirlinga' as the seed, the root of all things. The 'linga', much before the Common Era began, has been established as omnipotent, the basis of the entire universe and everything included in it. 'Lingodabhava' - 'linga' is the universe or it is in the 'linga' that the universe exists, perceives 'linga' with trans-

cosmic dimensions - the column of light penetrating the netherworld, shooting across the empyrean, and pervading the entire earth. The anionic 'linga' symbol preceded Shiva's regular anthropomorphic forms.

So it is evident that the probable meaning of „lingam‟ is „devine‟, not just „the male sex‟ organ or „the genital organ of Shiva worshipped in the form of a phallus‟.

Now if the interpretation is such then why all the lingams are more similar to sex organ itself? We have found the oldest meaning of „lingam‟. Now we try to find the meaning of Shiva itself.

Shiva has eight qualities and eight forms. The eight forms are: Earth, Water, Ether, Fire, Air, Sun, Moon and Soul. And the eight qualities are: Innocence, Purity, Self-Knowledge, Benevolence, Freedom from malas, Omniscience, Omnipotence and Bliss.

In order to merge with Shiva, one has to enroll himself as a servant first (Dasa Marga), later he takes the role of a child (Kriya Marga) and a friend (Sakha Marga). The final step before he unties with Shiva is the path of wisdom (Sanmarga or Sadhana Marga). Until this step is over he does not lose his identity. And then they are not Two. As the meaning of Shiva is: "The Auspicious One".

These attributes of Shiva and to reach Shiva was actually incorporated in the ‘Shiva lingam’. And the form looked like:

• A base of four sides, which indicates the four Margas.
• A cylinder with eight faces, indicating eight attributes of Shiva.
• Finally the 'linga' as pillar, the pillar as the column of light.

And the Structure looked like:

This structure might seem to be interesting because of the right reason- its familiarity. However this pattern has been changed a lot over the centuries. But the matter of fact that though the evident changes has been made to this form with due course of time, still we can find the impression of this form in some of the Shiva-Lingams‟ of later time. One of such example is the Nepalese stone lingam dated 900-1000. If we look carefully though the topmost part is carved with four faces of Shiva, unlike other conventional lingams we see, the lower part of the lingam is closer to the structure of the lingam, with four sided base, and then the eight faced cylinder and then the lingam.

Nepalese stone lingam dated 900-1000. 

On display at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, California.

I have tried to find some more similar examples of Shiva lingam. But unfortunately I did not find any other, as my source is Goggle only. But I will keep looking for. If any of you do have any knowledge of this I would really apprecite if you like to share with me.

But what I found is more intriguing fact. The pattern of Shiva is very familiar pattern. This pattern is followed in many of the Mughal architectures, if not in every one. The following bird‟s eye view of The Taj shows that there is a clear relation between them, though the proportions are not exactly the same.

The Taj

The floor plan of The Taj is more clear indication of that.

The floor plan of Taj

This is also a founding pattern of the Fatepur sikri, The Humayun-ka-Maqbara, Delhi Old palace. If we look beyond India, the pattern is also present at the Dome Of The Rock, arguably the holiest place on earth for right reason.

The Dome Of The Rock

--BISWASGHATOK
PS: Looking forward to your valuable inputs.