'Taken at the Flood ...'

There is a tide in the affairs of men.
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries ...

~ Shakespeare, Julius Caesar

Hooghly River

'Bhukailash' ... the Abode of Shiva

 

Kidderpore, located on a bend of the Hooghly River as it flows to the Bay of Bengal, owes its name to three distinct sources. The most enchanting of these three tales is drawn from the Islamic figure of Al-Khidr or Khizr, the wanderer who appears as a guide. Before this area became a port suburb, it was inhabited by boatmen, fishermen and traders … people whose lives / livelihoods were closely tied to the river tides. Another account links the name ‘Kidderpore’ to Colonel Robert Kyd (1746–1793), a British East India Company officer who resided in Shalimar (Howrah), just opposite Kidderpore, where he established the Royal Botanic Garden. He also possessed land in Kidderpore during the late-18^th century and perhaps the area came to be known as ‘Kyd-pore’ (Kyd’s place) after him. Finally, ‘Kidderpore’ may also be an Anglicized pronunciation of ‘Kedarpore’ - the Land of Kedar (Shiva) after the historic Bhukailash Temple Complex built by Raja Joynarayan Ghosal in 1781. The name “Bhukailash” is derived from a ‘Bhu’ (Earth) and ‘Kailash’ (the Abode of Shiva).

Walking through Kidderpore today as part of ‘The Bridgekeeper’s Tale: A Walking Tour’ … my ninth walk with Crosswalks brought together these stories to show how places acquire meaning across the passage of time. Hidden in the labyrinth of Kidderpore, unknown to most people of Kolkata, is a huge temple complex that houses two of the largest Shivalinga in Eastern India. And, visiting this place was my long-time wish ... now fulfilled by Crosswalks!! 

The history of the Bhukailash Temples goes back to mid-18^th century Bengal when the influence of the Nawab of Bengal was declining after the Battle of Plassey (1757). Taking advantage of the changing power dynamics in Bengal, wealthy families of Calcutta started engaging themselves in administrative and financial activities of the British East India Company. Gokul Chandra Ghoshal, who hailed from such a family, joined the Company as a ‘banian’ (native business assistant) to Harry Verelst, a Company administrator who later became the Governor of Bengal (1767–1769). Gokul Ghoshal progressed from his informal advisory position to a formal administrative post by rendering expert service as a revenue collector for the Company. He was appointed as the Diwan of Chittagong by Harry Verelst and served as the chief native revenue officer (1761-64). He grew influential owing to his connections with Company officials and even gained salt trading rights despite the Company’s monopoly on salt production and trade in Bengal. While revising Land Settlement for revenue collection, Ghoshal dispossessed several Zamindars and seized their land for himself. He consolidated his acquired lands into a unified Zamindari estate in Kidderpore. The Bhukailash estate was thus formally established … its name derived from ‘Bhu-Kailash’ - the earthly abode of Lord Shiva. 

Joynarayan Ghoshal, the son of Gokul Ghoshal’s brother, Krishna Chand Ghoshal, inherited the Bhukailash estate and also received the title of ‘Maharaja Bahadur’ from Warren Hastings. He built the Bhukailash Rajbari and the adjacent temple complex in 1781. The complex has two Bengal aatchala-style twin Shiva temples facing each other across an open space adjacent a large lake - the Shiv-Ganga. 

Shiv-Ganga Lake of Bhukailash Temple Complex

Each temple has a triple-arched entrance and enshrines a Shivalinga. On the east of the Shiv-Ganga is the west-facing Raktakamaleshwar Shiva lingam in the name of Joynarayan’s mother and on the west of the Shiv-Ganga is the east-facing Krishnachandreswar in the name of his father Krishna Chandra Ghoshal. The open space between the temples has a black stone statue of Nandi - the bull of Lord Shiva. The foundation plaque of the Raktakamaleshwar Temple says that the temple was built in 1702 Sakabda (1780 A.D). The Krishnachandreswar Temple does not have any such plaque but it may be assumed that it was also built during the same time. 

There are several other temples in the complex – the most prominent being the Patit-Pabon Durga Temple. She is the household deity of the Bhukailash Zamindars.

The Durga Temple 

The Goddess 

Canons and other deities in the Temple Complex

In the early 19^th-century, Joynarayan Ghoshal relocated to Varanasi, owing to health issues, delegating estate responsibilities to his son Kali Shankar Ghoshal. Subsequent generations extended the lineage preserving Zamindari influence in local administration till the mid-19th century. Despite challenges of inheritance partitions and increasing revenue demands under British policies, the assets in Kidderpore endured beyond the 19^th century. However, at present, the Bhukailash Rajbari and the Temples face an existential crisis. Among the present owners of the estate, Satya Dilip Ghoshal and his wife, Mintu Ghoshal, were approached by local promoters to give up their portion of the Bhukailash Rajbari and move out. All his other relatives had apparently agreed but Satya Ghoshal refused to give up his legacy … a property listed as Grade-I Heritage by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation. 

The Plaque ... a Glimpse into History

A former head clerk at Kidderpore College, Satya Dilip Ghoshal is adamant that “should we give in to the promoter’s demands and leave, the Rajbari will cease to exist”. His daughter, Antara agrees:

“Once my parents leave, the entire area will be converted into some sort of illegal construction project. The Rajbari will be no more. I’ve spent all my formative years there. For me, our house isn’t just a part of our family’s legacy. It’s also a part of the culture of Kolkata and Bengali Rajbaris in general. That’s why, even though my parents feel threatened, we feel they should stand their ground and stay. We want to hang on to our house at all costs.” (Source) 

In the courtyard of the Rajbari 

The completely dilapidated 'Nat Mandir' of the Rajbari 

The towering pillars bear testimony to a glorious past....

"Bagh Mama" (Tiger Uncle) of Bengal

 

Bengal has a close association with tigers, especially the ‘Royal Bengal Tiger’ (Panthera Tigris), which is native to the region … as a living legend and a cultural icon. 

'Bagh Mama' in the wilderness of Bandhavgarh (MP)

The British colonizers of the 18th/19th centuries found tigers roaming the wilds in the ‘Bengal’ Presidency and added the prefix ‘Royal’ inspired by their majestic appearance. So, the Royal Bengal Tiger gets its name from a combination of geographical association and colonial history. Moreover, tigers were prized trophies for British royalty and colonial hunters. In pre-colonial India, the tiger reigned supreme in the dense mangrove forests of the Sundarbans delta, formed by the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers. They were feared as man-eaters and revered as deities, and became a part of local culture, folklore and belief systems. Indeed, for the people of Bengal, Banglar Bagh (the Bengal Tiger) indicates much more than the animal itself; it represents the spirit and grandeur of Bengal.

In the dense mangrove forests of the Sundarbans, the tiger is both feared as a man-eater and revered as a deity, by the people who depend on the forest for survival. Legends such as those of ‘Dakkhin Rai’, the Tiger-King, and ‘Bonbibi’, the forest Goddess, illustrate the delicate balance of man and environment: human beings must respect the forest and its spirit to live safely amid the dangers. Within the Sundarbans, lie the moss-covered stone structures at Netidhopani, often associated with the legend of ‘Behula-Lakhindar’, which fishermen claim are the ruins of a village that was ‘swallowed’ by river tides when a tiger-god exacted vengeance. The eerie tale of Netidhopani warns against greed, portraying a ghostly tiger that punishes those who exploit the forest’s resources excessively. Such stories highlight the tiger’s role as a guardian of nature, urging environmental respect and humility. 

Bonbibi and Dakkhin Rai

Although the tiger population here numbers around 100-130, sightings are rare due to the dense mangrove habitat. In contrast, Bandhavgarh National Park in Madhya Pradesh, home to 70-75 tigers, offers more frequent encounters. Bandhavgarh itself is steeped in history and mythology. Last week, during the Easter holidays, I had the chance to visit Bandhavgarh and tick off ‘to see a wild tiger roaming in its habitat’ off my bucket list. 

As per local legend, the name ‘Bandhavgarh’ translates to ‘Brother’s Fort’ … in Hindi ‘Bandhav’ (brother) and ‘Garh’ (Fort). It is believed that Sri Ramchandra had gifted a fort in this region to his brother, Lakshman. Another legend modifies this tale and says, Sri Ramchandra stopped in this region while returning to Ajodhya after defeating Ravan in Lanka. The ancient fort stands in the middle of the dense forest and local people still worship Lakshman in a temple within the fort. As per ‘India Naturally’ the Bandhavgarh fort has Brahmi inscriptions dating back to the 1^st century BC. In a cave named ‘Bagdhalak’ there are stone-inscriptions of stripe patterns and pugmarks indicating that the Royal Bengal Tiger has been walking on this land since time immemorial. Though there are no records to confirm who built the fort and when … the history of the fort can be traced back to Bhimseni Satvat (one of the early possessors of the fort who lived around 300 AD). The fort is accessible only on Janmashtami to celebrate its 2,000-year history. Bandhavgarh is a place where history, mythology and wildlife intertwine to create a landscape … just as in the Sundarbans.

A Bonbibi Temple in the Sunderbans 

A temple in Bandhavgarh

Despite the geographical distance, DNA studies by scientists at the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, show that the tigers in the Sundarbans are genetically similar to the tiger population of Central India, including Bandhavgarh. Genetic studies suggest that the tigers of the Sundarbans and Bandhavgarh share common ancestors, and were separated centuries ago by   human activity. Though tigers remain a cultural icon in India, intertwined with art, culture, folklore and even the Indian national identity … yet, they are classified as an endangered species. It is a sad reality that human beings are largely responsible for driving tigers toward extinction through habitat loss, poaching for illegal trade and man-animal conflict.

Sunderbans 

Bandhavgarh

Jeep Safari in Bandhavgarh

Boat Safari in Sunderbans

The survival of the Royal Bengal Tiger is vital, not only for biodiversity but also for preserving India’s cultural and natural legacy … for as Jim Corbett wrote: “The Tiger is a large-hearted gentleman with boundless courage and when he is exterminated – as exterminated he will be unless public opinion rallies to his support- India will be the poorer by having lost the finest of her fauna” (Man-Eaters of Kumaon, 1944).