Having visited Baro Taraf and Mejo Taraf in the village of Hadal-Narayanpur, it was time to explore the portion of the Mandal family estate that was passed down to the youngest brother, when their Indigo business fell into decline in the 1850s.
Finding Choto Taraf is not difficult at all. The entrance to the mansion on Dhagaroa Hadal Narayanpur road has been freshly painted in bright hues of red and yellow, the entrance flanked by two lion statues. I have to confess this did fill me with some fear. My prior research on the temple within indicated there was to be found a well preserved terracotta temple, but this newly applied paint on the mansion exterior suggested that perhaps I was to be faced with a temple that has been subjected to “renovation”, and not the sort that I find particularly pleasing.
Left : Temple prior to “restoration”, circa 2019
Right : The temple in 2023, now brightly painted
Sadly, my fears turned out to be justified – the 35ft high Radha Damodara Temple of Choto Taraf has recently been painted, and all the vintage feel that the temple once possessed has been obliterated.
Trying to set aside this visual impact, the temple still retains it’s architectural elements. This nine pinnacled structure is quite interesting in that it resembles a church in many respects, quite unlive other Navaratna temples I have seen in Bengal.
The temple is most famous for its terracotta ornamentation, in particular the panels above the triple-arched entrance. Instead of the usual three panels, here we have six, with two rows of three panels. The iconography in terms of scenes from the Hindu epics and mythology is restricted to the middle panel on the upper row, and all three panels on the lower row.
The eye is immediately drawn to the central panel on the lower row of terracotta panels. Here we have Arjun aiming at a fish above his head by following its reflection in a water pot at the royal court of Drupadh. This huge terracotta tablet contains a big fish encircled by members of the royal court while below it Arjun is seen aiming his arrow, concentrating on his aim. Armed men in royal clothes surround him. No other terracotta temple has such detailing of this episode of Mahabharata.
Immediately to the right is another huge tablet that depicts the rescue of Ram and Laxman by Hanuman from the death chamber of Mahiravan, the little known son of Ravana. This is a clear influence of Krittibashi Ramayan, a Bengali translation of Sanskrit Ramayana where this episode is written in vivid detail.
Here, a huge Hanuman is seen carrying a throne on which Durga in Mahishashurmardini posture stands while Ram and Laxman rest on Hanuman’s shoulders. A dejected Mahiravan stands at a corner with a deadly weapon in his hand. The epic says Mahiravan captured Ram and Laxman with a wish to sacrifice them to please Durga.
The third panel to the left is the most interesting as it is a fusion of mythology and an epic. Divided in three parts, the upper most one is carved to show the royal chamber of Ram, who is seated with his queen and is accepting services of his consorts and servants. The middle part is a reflection of a happy house where affectionate parents Shiva and Parvati are seen hugging their son Ganesh, who is also in a playful mood. The bottom panel depicts Krishna Leela in detail.
Middle : Shiva and Parvati hugging their son Ganesh
Bottom : Krishna Leela
Above these tree panels in the middle of the upper row is a complex battle scene, although it doesn’t appear to the depicting the Battle of Ramayana and is most likely a battle scene from the Mahabharata.
According to family sources, this navaratna temple of choto taraf was built nearly 210 years by Baburam Mandal for his minor son Ganga Gobinda. Surprisingly this temple is devoid of any associated foundation plaque.
The terracotta ornamentation is not restricted to the main panels above the entrance, the front facade of the temple is incredibly well decorated with various motifs, with some impressive details.
I wish I had managed to see this temple prior to the paint being applied, personally it would have enhanced my experience to a degree. The detailing on the terracotta is exquisite, but the repeated application of paint will only contribute to a loss of definition over the coming years.
Next to the Radha Damodara Temple are two smaller temples, one octagonal and one square. Both have also been recently painted, and have no foundation plaques either. One can only assume they are broadly contemporary with the main temple.
For all the hidden gems Hadal-Narayanpur has largely kept secret from the outside world, there is one further highlight which I fear will not be standing for much longer. Situated down a narrow alley off of Dhagaroa Hadal Narayanpur road and just north of the boundary of Choto Taraf is a 25ft tall ruined five pinnacled Damodar temple, where Shalagramshila is being worshipped.
The temple has been encroached upon so much that only the front elevation can now be observed, but the terracotta panels here are as exquisite as any in the village, but here they are rapidly disappearing.
The central panel above the triple-arch entrance shows us the Battle of Ramayana, with Ram standing on a chariot and next to Jambavan. Both are aiming at the ten-headed Ravana, while their soldiers are wrestling in-between. It’s a fantastically well executed piece of art, I spent more time looking at this one panel than any of the others in the entire village.
The panel to the left shows Anantashayana Vishnu, another peerless terracotta panel. Here he is served by his wife Laxmi, while the lord himself relaxes on the snake bed.
The panel to the right shows Bhishma on a bed of arrows. Five years ago this panel was complete, but how half of it has fallen off and disappeared. In fact, the entire right side of the temple is slowly crumbling to dust, without intevention the decay will only continue and soon this temple will be lost forever. I shudder to think how many other temples in West Bengal are in a similar state of peril.
A short distance further north down another narrow alleyway is small temple with no ornamentation and seemingly quite well maintained.
We then reach another crumbling structure, which appears to be a Dalan (flat roofed) temple.
This is known locally as Chobbish Kuthuri, and in its current condition could easily be mistaken for a two storied house rather than a temple. Legend has it that when Maratha Bargee invaded Bengal, a huge amount of treasure was kept hidden, buried beneath this temple which is now guarded by spirits.
As an archaeologist there is of course a huge temptation to grab my trowel and mattock start an excavation. But for me, all the treasures of Hadal-Narayanpur are above ground, but in some instances those same spirits are not doing such a good job of guarding them.
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Categories: Choto Taraf – Hadal-Narayanpur, Hadal-Naryanpur, India, West Bengal
Kevin Standage 
Have you ever been publish any book ?
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Not yet, I may one day if I thought there would be enough interest !
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