By IANS
Dhaka : A 16th century Hindu temple complex at Kantanagar in northeastern Bangladesh’s Dinajpur district is “on the verge of ruin” and needs urgent government attention and repairs, said a report published Friday.
The government had sanctioned an annual sum of Taka 22,599 (about $300) for maintenance of the temple complex in 1961 while the country was a part of Pakistan. However, the government stopped the grant in 1994, says The Daily Star.
The temple complex is the venue of the Rash Mela, an annual festival that was last held on the full moon night of Nov 23.
The main shrine, the Nava Ratna Temple, lost its original nine spires in an earthquake in 1898 but “still manages to mesmerise tourists with whatever is left of its terracotta brilliance”, the report said.
A small derelict single-spire temple now overgrown with rank vegetation stands about one hundred yards north of the main temple.
“If effective measures are not taken immediately the intricate terracotta of the Kantanagar temple will fade away gradually. Yet another jewel of architecture that can be a source of pride for us will be lost,” the newspaper cautioned.
Though over the decades the festival has lost its grandeur due to dwindling funds, both the celebration and the temple can take pride in their fascinating history.
According to local historians, a benevolent king initiated the Rash Mela in 1578 to encourage trade in the remote area. It became a secular event as thousands of Hindus, Muslims as well as tribals came together to celebrate the festival.
In 1704, King Prannath commissioned to have a temple built near the Dhepa river after Lord Krishna appeared in his dream while he was returning from Delhi to Dinajpur. One hundred and one artisans worked on the temple and it was completed in 1752.
A Krishna idol that Prannath had brought from Vrindavan, in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, was installed in the Nava Ratna temple when it was completed. The temple is provided with arched openings on all four sides to enable devotees to see from all directions the deity enshrined inside.
Sources quoted by the report said Taka 500,000 to 600,000 is needed for the annual maintenance of the temple.
According to temple authorities, hundreds of visitors from across the country and overseas come to the temple every day. However, there is no accommodation for the visitors.