On weekends when I am extremely bored, I simply take out an online map and search for interesting places in that region. Usually, I stick to 100 Kilometers to a destination yardstick when planning for a quick day trip on my motorcycle. This makes the journey somewhat doable, especially in the summer heat. A few weeks back I did just that and found Jatar Deul located in South 24 Parganas within reach and fixed on it.
Since this was the last moment plan that I made a big mistake ok not double-checking the map route. The reason why I am saying this you will understand shortly.
I started very late around 10.30 AM and zoomed past E. M. Bypass and soon crossed Kamalgazhi Flyover driving south towards Sundarban. This is usually the Bazar time in rural India thus every few kilometers I had to slow down. Markets in these parts usually flow onto the main road and traffic gets chaotic.
I had to reach my destination as soon as possible so I just made two stops to sip water. It took me nearly 2 hours 45 minutes to reach a point known as Dhaki Ghat and then there was nothing. The navigation app on my phone showed a bridge over a small rivulet but the bridge was no way near complete. The final destination was just around 5 kilometers from this spot.
On asking locals they pointed out that the bridge has remained like this for years due to land disputes and if I have to reach the other side then there are two options either I take a detour which will take me back to Kolkata half the way and then again make the same journey. Or I cross the river on a motorized country boat. The locals were confident that the villagers often carry their motorcycles on the boats to the other side.
Upon inspecting the river jetty from where these boats depart, I realized that there were no inclined plains for the motorcycle to be transferred onto the boat instead the locals use brute human strength to carry the motorcycle down the stairs onto the boat. Now one needs to keep in mind that this is very much possible for scooty and at the max, a 100 CC motorcycle but I drive a Royal Enfield Thunderbird, and no way can people lift it and transfer it onto a boat.
On seeing my predicament, the villagers asked me instead to park my motorcycle at the local village market and then cross the small rivulet to reach Jotar Ghat, and then take a motorized van or e-rickshaw to my final destination. I found this to be the best option and parked it under a shed and purchased a ticket of Rs. 3 for the boat journey.
The journey took just near a minute and I was on the other side, from there I took a motorized van for Rs. 10 which dropped me right at the spot from where I could see Jatar Deul.
History of Jatar Deul
The locality in which this temple lies is known as Kankandighi which lies near another major village of Raidighi where many artifacts were recovered from various excavations.
Most parts of Sundarbans were sold off to various merchants who mainly dealt with using the forest resources for wood and other materials.
In the 1870s this part of the Sundarbans was allotted to someone named Mr. Smith, he found this structure and also tried to explore the possibilities of hidden treasures within it. None were to be found but this process damaged the top structure.
When this structure was discovered, no idols were present thus for historians this has been a long-standing debate between a Hindu temple and a Buddhist structure. Some had even suggested this to be a victory gate built by a king.
In 1875 a copper plate was discovered while clearing the jungle north of the Jatar Deul written in Sanskrit. This plate mentions the date of construction of the temple in 975 AD by Raja Jayanta Chandra.
Historians have for long pinpointed the construction of this temple by Pala Kings. As per other plates discovered in Nalanda and elsewhere there can be found a paragraph where it is mentioned that Dharmapala after conquering the earth the king reached the place where the Ganges met the sea and then he freed all the elephants and performed religious practices out there.
Archeological Survey of India puts the date of the structure around the 11th century AD.
The name Jatar Deul comes from the fact that Shiva is often referred to as Jatadhari due to the locks of hair and this temple worships Shiva with a Linga that can be seen placed inside the temple.
While there is also an urban legend once popular around the villages also tells the story of a tiger with large locks of hair roaming the jungle of Sundarbans which frequented this place. As a tradition, the villagers around Sundarbans never refer to the tiger directly as usually uses synonyms to evade bad luck. Thus, according to some, the temple got its name due to the roaming tiger with large locks.
Structure of Jatar Deul
The structure is built with terracotta burnt bricks cemented together with some sort of blackish material. The exterior face of the structure has decorated with terracotta bricks.
The main tower has a somewhat square foundation towering up to around 100 feet. The structure has only one entrance from the east that has a height of 9.5 feet. The thickness of the outer wall is around 10 feet with around 10 square feet of space in between. The floor is 6 feet well below the surface.
The structure has a design form which is known as Deul. In this form, there is only a main shrine and there are no additional Mandapas. These design patterns are similar to that of the Kalinga architectural style. The popularity of this type of design was mostly seen between the 6th to 10th century and after a long gap can again be seen during the 16th to 19th century.
Apart from the main structure, one can find some sort of foundation structure in front of the main gate of the temple. This has become a functional temple and apart from the main Shiva Linga, one can spot various images of Shiva. An iron gate has been placed on the main gate of the temple and regular puja takes place inside.
At the moment this temple is well protected with a boundary wall amidst cultivated fields and there is a narrow lane from the main road that leads to the temple site.
Location of Jatar Deul on map
How to Reach Jatar Deul
If you are taking the local train from Sealdah then it’s best to take the south train towards Lakshmikantapur and get down at Mathurapur Road station. From there change Auto or local busses to reach Raidighi and then to Kankandighi.
If you are traveling by road then take the State Highway to Dhaki Ferry Ghat. Park your vehicle there and cross the river on a boat and then take an e-rickshaw or motorized van for 15 Rs. I would recommend that you book this for a return journey including waiting time. High chances are there that you will have to wait for 15 – 20 minutes to get transport back from Jatar Deul.
Summer can be cruel and it is advised to carry umbrellas or hats and hydrate yourself often with water. The rivers around here are tidal so sometimes the boat might not be able to reach the concrete slabs of the jetty and in that case, you might have to wade through muddy water to reach the embankments.
Unless the bridge gets constructed completely this is the best way and keeping this in mind avoid high monsoon season as the rivers can swell to dangerous levels.
Jatar Deul Vlog
Resources
Monographs Of The Varendra Research Society No. 3
The Telegraph
Archeological Survey of India – Kolkata Circle
West Bengal Heritage Commission