Constructed in 1786 by Krishna Ram Mitra, the Dewan of the Maharaja of Bardhaman, the Radha Govinda Mandir in Antpur has some of the finest terracotta decoration to be found anywhere in West Bengal. This is in part due to the softer alluvial clay that could be sourced near the Ganga river, enabling the artisans to produce higher quality detailed images with more finesse. Although Bishnupur is well known for its terracotta temples, the poorer quality clay found there mixed with laterite produced a coarser material, resulting in the terracotta panels being slightly more simplistic in nature.
The east-facing Radha Govinda temple is a brick-built atchala (eight roofed) temple with a chachala (four roofed) Jagmohan in front. This is part of a larger temple complex which I will cover shortly, but it’s worth noting that presently the Radha Govinda is closed to visitors. From what I could make out, it would seem this is because of some recent attempts to steal terracotta panels from the temple. I can’t be sure if these attempts were successful, but one only has to do some searches on ebay to see that there is a market for such objects.
Luckily for me, being an archaeologist from the UK seemed to be a way in, and the caretaker did eventually show me around. The next challenge was the fact that no photography was allowed, which I guess is understandable in the circumstances. I overcame this with a little “persuasion” from my wallet. All that said, if you are planning to visit this temple just be aware that you may end up staring at the temple façade from the other side of a locked gate. I think the caretaker is there most of the time, so you may get lucky.
Although I was very fortunate to gain access, my tour of this temple was incredibly swift, so what follows is a brief overview of what can be seen here. Please click on any image to view in more detail.
The central arch panels depict scenes from the great epic Ramayana, a common theme on almost every temples in West Bengal. The battle scenes include the ten-headed Ravana fighting Lord Rama, his generals, and monkey soldiers. Suparsha, the celestial bird, makes an appearance obstructing Ravana’s chariot.
A scene from the great battle of Mahabharata is depicted above the right sided arch over the entrance. I believe this is the only image on the temple that draws inspiration directly from the Mahabharata.
The arch panels above the north and south side entrances are easily missed as you feast on all the terracotta work, but they are worth a closer look. In particular the southern entrance panel which depicts Chamunda in a typically violent mood.
Bottom – Top – Terracotta panels above northern side entrance
Continuing the earlier Ramayana theme, there is also a Ram Raja panel on one of the central columns, depicting Lord Rama on his throne with Sita by his side, flanked by his brothers and followers. Note the figure on the far left of this panel, excitedly declared by the caretaker as the jackal-faced ancient Egyptian God Anubis, I think it is actually Jambuban, the bear-follower of Lord Rama.
Another panel on a central column depicts Durga with her children Lakshmi, Saraswati, Kartikeya and Ganesha, flanked at the extreme ends by her attendants Jaya and Vijaya.
Scenes from the life of Lord Krishna (Krishna Leela) are abundant all over the temple, another common subject matter for temple decoration in West Bengal. These include the birth story of Krishna, ladies of Vrindavan bathing the baby Krishna, the killing of the evil king Kansa (Kansa Badh), stealing of Gopinis clothes (Vastra Haran), Krishna dancing with Radha and other Gopinis (Raas Leela), taming of Kaliya (Kaliya Daman), killing of Aghasura (Aghasura Badh), killing of Bakasura (Bakasura Badh), the list if almost endless !
Another terracotta scene that grabbed my attention was that of (I believe) a Charak Festival. This festival is celebrated every year in the month of April and a day before the Bengali new year (Poela Baisakh). In this festival, Lord Shiva is worshiped along with Goddess Kali in their multiple incarnations. People especially worship Lord Shiva to end their suffering & past sins and to bring prosperity, good health and happiness. The main attraction of the festival is a big thick Charak Tree Stem, which is erected vertically with rope dangling down with hooks attached at the end. What proceeds from there is best read in this article.
Scenes and images of soldiers are not uncommon on terracotta panels in West Bengal, but here at Antpur they seem extremely prevalent. One could speculate as to whether in some cases we are seeing actual scenes from the Battle of Plassey, a significant moment in Indian history when the Nawab of Bengal was defeated by the British (with canons), a moment that heralded the start of British rule in India. The Battle of Plassey was in 1757, less than thirty years before this temple was built, so it was very much still in the living memory of many of the individuals involved in the construction of this temple.
Other social scenes are also depicted in terracotta, including royal processions with horses, elephants, and chariots, Zamindars sitting on thrones surrounded by assistants, hunters and hunting scenes, and bullock carts.
I have read that there are also some depictions of Sufi Saints, perhaps a little unexpected, but it is said that the founder of Radha Govinda temple, Krishna Ram Mitra, believed in the unity between different religions and so this was reflected in the temple decoration.
Another common image on the temple is the depiction of Shaivite Yogis engaged in their rituals and daily routines.
Mrityulata (death-vine) panels also make an appearance at the Radha Govinda temple. A mrityulata is a vertical terracotta panel containing a vertical series of human and animal figures, each poised to attack the figure below. This panel is then repeated running vertically and is usually seen at the corners of a temple. The philosophical significance of this type of panel is to remind the viewer that everything is mortal, and will be devoured by Time.
A quick mention should also be made of what resides inside the temple. Of particular note is the painted ceiling of the Jagmohan, quite unexpected and appears to be original.
Chandimandapa
A doorway on the north perimeter wall leads to the Chandimandapa. This temple re-dates the Radha Govinda by twenty-nine years, and was also built by Krishna Ram Mitra in the same year as the Battle of Plassey – 1747 CE.
This south-facing wooden Dochala temple with a thatched roof harks back to a previous tradition of temple architecture that persisted up to the 18th century, and today very few examples still exist.
The wooden pillars, horizontal bars and beams are all carved with Gods and Goddesses alongside floral motifs. Closer inspection of these carvings and where they reside on the temple strongly suggests that some of the beams have been reused from a previous structure, they are often tucked away or even upside down. This wonderful temple definitely has a story to tell, but one that I wasn’t able to completely fathom out !
Other Temples and Structures
Between the main road and the Radha Govinda Temple are a number of other structures. The most notable is the Kasinath Shiv Mandir, built in 1773 CE and with some fine terracotta panels that are perhaps a little overshadowed by what else can be seen in the vicinity.
The nearby Jaleshwar temple and another temple (I don’t know the name) have less in the way of terracotta decoration and are mainly restricted to floral and geometric motifs.
Right – Unknown temple
Finally, there is also a square Dolmancha and hexagonal Rasmancha that you can see on your way to the Radha Govinda Mandir.
Right – Rasmancha – Antpur
Antpur is also the birth place of Swami Premananda, an Ishwarkoti and a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna. It is here at Antpur on Christmas Eve, Dec 24th 1886, that Swami Vivekananda along with eight brother disciples renounced the world. Ramakrishna Math can also be visited right next to Radha Govinda Mandir, although sadly at the time of visiting I wasn’t even aware of its existence. You can read a lot more about the Math in this link.
The Radha Govinda temple is well worth a visit, and can be easily reached from Kolkata in around 2 hours by car. Please be aware of the current visiting restrictions however, I think I may have been quite fortunate and who knows what the situation will be like in the months and years ahead. Let’s all hope the monument can soon get the protection it needs in order to be open once again to all visitors.
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Categories: India, Radha Govinda Terracotta Complex - Antpur, West Bengal
Kevin Standage 
When we visited this Temple, the Chandimandap compound was locked, and so we couldn’t see it. My web search also didn’t produce any internal shots.
So thank you for managing these beautiful shots.
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