Explore Ancient India

            (Courtesy: https://share.google/images/kRudVtaFMLQJuWAve) Author - Biswarup Chatterjee  . Introduction         In the rural hinterlands of Bengal, the worship and ritual observances of numerous folk deities are often represented in peculiar and fearsome forms which continue to persist to the present day. In the remotest villages of Bangladesh today, one can witness the worship and festivals dedicated to this type of terrifying folk deities. Among them, the ‘Pāñcu’ or ‘Pẽcho Ṭhākur’ holds a distinctive place. The name Pẽcho is more commonly used among villagers. Local belief identifies him as both a protector and destroyer of children, a deity of fierceness and temper in a terrifying form, and wholly primitive imagination. His idols, as they survive today, retain almost unaltered features of archaic religious conception and primordial sculptural design. Iconography of Pāñcu Ṭhākur         Pāñcu Ṭhāku...

         Courtesy: https://images.app.goo.gl/PwtGtQVvTjaftdrB9 Author: Biswarup Chatterjee          In the village of Patharshon (~26.12 to 26.14 °N ~89.45 to 89.48 °E), located in the Bamanhat region of Dinhata subdivision, lies a significant idol of goddess Kali of the district, popularly known as the “Mādhāikhāler Kālīṭhākurāni” (Goddess Kali of Madhai Khal, Figure - 00),” The deity is worshipped by the people of all communities. Every year, the worship begins on the Saturday or Tuesday following the Aṣṭamī Tithi (অষ্টমী তিথি) refers to the eighth lunar day in the Hindu lunar calendar. Each lunar month is divided into two halves — the waxing phase (Śukla Pakṣa) and the waning phase (Kṛiṣňa Pakṣa). Aṣṭamī occurs twice in every lunar month: ) of the month of Chaitra (twelfth month in the Bengali calendar and the first month in the Hindu lunar calendar. It usually falls between mid-March and mid-April in the Gregorian calendar.) and co...

          devānampiyen piyadasina lājina (Figure. 1)        Picture Courtesy: Patrick Olivelle, Ashoka: Portrait of a Philosopher King, page 152.  Author - Biswarup Chatterjee.           This honorific title was used not only by Aśoka but also by his grandson Daśaratha. According to Dipavamsa, the Sinhalese chronicle, the contemporary king of Sri Lanka also adopted this title during the time of Aśoka.         The scholars claim that the use of this honorific title was influenced by the Vedic tradition. During the Vedic period, at the time of the coronation of the king, such deities like Indra, Varuṇa, Mitra, Pūṣaṇ, and others were invoked and their blessings were sou rtght. This custom, which comes from the Vedic tradition, lasted into the Mauryan period. No other king is known to have used this title after Daśaratha. According to the Siddhāntakaumudī which was composed by Pāṇini in 1630 CE,...

                                                                    Plate 1           Courtesy: https://images.app.goo.gl/MLZfBMDkkaun8yJ8A. Author - Biswarup Chatterjee. One of the most significant and interesting folk deity of Kashiabari village under Haldibari block, in the Cooch Behar district (26.38322 °N, 88.77159 °E) is Goddess Kālī, which is in a  formless state and a unique representation of the divine without a physical idol. On the western side adjacent to the Kashiabari market, there stands a century-old temple (plate 1) where this deity is worshipped. Several beliefs and prejudices are prevalent among the locals about the origin of this temple. Though the goddess is worshipped in a formless manner throughout the year, but during the festival of Dīpānwitā (the first da...

                                                                         Goddess Kālī Author - Biswarup Chatterjee          One of the most important cosmic goddesses in Cooch Bihar district of West Bengal is Kali Thakurani, the goddess is quite well known and appreciated among the Rajvanshi community of this region. Although the influence of this goddess is not confined soli among the Rajvanshi community, rather the significant influence of this goddess is noticed in the religious beliefs and folk culture of all levels of the district. The goddess Kali was worshiped in various names and forms in Coochbehar as like the other districts of North Bengal. The goddess is quite popular for her various types of name in the Rajvanshi community, such as Syamakali, Bhadrakali, Smasankali, K...

                                                               God Bhairaba  Author - Biswarup Chatterjee.          The sculpture represented by the above mentioned plate is known as God Bhairaba. He is also worshipped as a protector of villages in few parts of Bengal. The appearance of this God is very much fearful and always surrounded by his associates and some sculpture of elephants and horses. Actually, this deity is known as an unscriptural and aboriginal deity. The sculpture is quite similar with some folk deity of Buedwan and Howra district in West Bengal along with the southern part of the country, such as, Babathakur or Pancananda, Tirubayaba etc. the God is probably worshipped by the tribes, mainly santal and also have a similarity with ‘Bābā deo’, the deities of the Vhil tribe. Though he ...

                                                                      Figure 1 Author: Biswarup Chatterjee           In the folklore as well as the indigenous culture of Cooch Behar, one of the most famous male deity is ‘Sannyasi Thakur’ (Figure 1), Sannyasi (monk) Thakur (God), the deity is also quite popular in the name of Sannyasi Shiva. Actually the God is a localized form of Lord Shiva . {Shiva is one of the main Hindu gods, who is a multifaceted and profound character, represents both rebirth and destruction. As the destroyer or transformer of the cosmos, Shiva is revered as "Mahadeva" (the Great God) and is one of the three members of the Hindu Trimurti concept, together with Brahma (the creator) and Vishnu (the preserver). Sannyasi Thakur is revered in the folk beliefs of this regi...

          Author: Biswarup Chatterjee. According to the field survey conducted in various villages across the five subdivisions of Cooch Behar district, several significant and influential manifestations of the awakened folk deity Masan have been identified. For instance, we may cite the following examples.  Gaḍkāṭā Masan:            One of the most prominent and ancient manifestations of the folk deity Masan in the Cooch Behar district is the "Gaḍkāṭā Masan." This Masan shrine is situated beside the paved road in the village of Alokjhari, under Gossanimaari-I Gram Panchayat of the Dinhata subdivision. The deity is enshrined in a west-facing brick temple with a tin roof on the left side of the Dinhata-Gosanimari National Highway, within the mentioned village. Revered as one of the oldest and most awakened forms of Masan in the district, Gaḍkāṭā Masan is worshipped by all and holds a significant place among the folk deities of N...

  Figure 1: Idols of Masan Deity By Biswarup Chatterjee .         It is difficult to precisely determine when and how Hinduism began to spread in Cooch Behar. However, there is no doubt that Shaivism had the most prominent influence in the ancient princely state of Cooch Behar. From various historical texts, we came to know that the kings of Cooch Behar constructed numerous temples and installed idols, not only across this district but also in neighboring districts and states, affirming that the royal lineage adhered to Hinduism. Such influence can be clearly seen in the various traditional festivals and rituals of the region .The majority of the subjects were also followers of Hinduism.         Later on, with the growing influence of Shaivism and Vaishnavism, many local or regional customs and festivals underwent such transformations that it has become exceedingly difficult to determine their original roots. Numerous religious preachers arri...