Kantaji Temple

Among the architectural heritage sites that take Bangladesh to an international level, Kantaji Temple is a prominent one. It is an excellent example of brick and terracotta temple in entire Bengal. The temple is also known as Kantanagar or Kantajew temple.

The temple, dedicated to Lord Krishna, is located at Kantanagar village in Kaharole upazila of Dinajpur district. It is about 21 km north of Dinajpur city, and a mile west of Dinajpur-Panchagarh highway across the Dhepa River.

The temple was built on the site of a ruined fort in ancient times. It is said the fort belonged to Raja Virat, a legendary king of Mahabharata epic. The area of the fort was surrounded by high rampart walls, which are still visible. There is an inscription on the northeast corner plinth of the temple which states that Maharaja Prannath began its construction in 1704 AD and it was completed by his adopted son, Maharaja Ramnath, in 1752.

Originally, it was a three-storied ‘nine spires’ (nava ratna) temple. The roof of the ground floor and the first floor of the temple each contain four towers or ‘ratnas’ at the corners, while the roof of the second floor contains the central tower (ratna) in the middle. The temple is built on 15-metre (50-ft) square raised platform. The temple was severely damaged by an earthquake in 1897, an its ornate towers collapsed. Later, Maharaja Girijanath Bahadur restored the temple in the early 20th century, except for the missing nine spires or towers.  

The renowned British archaeologist Francis Buchanan-Hamilton mentioned that “the temple is the finest that I have seen in entire Bengal”. He also wrote “no other monument is comparable to Kantaji Temple in terms of its precision, architectural superiority and aesthetic beauty”. In 1871, some photos of the original Kantaji temple were taken by British photographer John Henry Ravenshaw. These photos show Kantaji temple with nine spires, an archway on the south face with ‘Thakur’s’ canopied chair on the verandah, and the base of one of the western pillars. These photos are now at the British Library in London.

The temple is famous for its stunning terracotta ornamentation. The entire temple is decorated with 15,000 terracotta plaques that depict flora and fauna, geometric motifs, mythological scenes from epics Ramayana and Mahabharata, the exploits of Krishna (Rasa-Lila), and contemporary social life. All these wonderful decorations give the temple an eye-catching look and notable heritage value.

The idol of Lord Krishna (Kantaji) is kept in the ‘Garbhagriha’ (womb chamber) of the temple on the ground floor. The Department of Archaeology (DOA) has carried out the necessary conservation and restoration works on this temple under South Asia Tourism Infrastructure Development Project (SATIDP). It is a protected monument of DOA and one of the well-preserved late medieval temples in Bangladesh. n

References: Lyrics in Terracotta at Kantajeer Mandir- Muhammad Sirajuddin, Dhaka, 1992; Archaeological Survey Report of Greater Dinajpur District, DOA, 1995; Kantajee Temple, UNESCO, 2005; History in Pictures- Greater Rangpur and Dinajpur, Area HQs, Rangpur, 2008.

Photos: Writer