TERRACOTTA TEMPLE at HAT - TALA , ILLAMBAZAR > A Strong Impression !

Photo taken by Mukul Chandra De

                                                                  Courtesy ; Satyasri Ukil

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Manasi Bandyopadhyay ( Chakrabarti)

I first read about Illambazar in a novel named Radha by Tarashankar Bandyopadhyay, the famous Bengali novelist. In that book, Illambazar has been described as a large town famous for its lacker trade and  at the same time  a place for Vaishnav culture. The Vaishnavas , in the time of Radha, became habituated in doing some rituals which were far away from their original religion.

However, there were some reasons behind performing these rituals , I am not going into the detail academic discussion because that is a long narration. I just mention that in that period, there were some powerful Vaishnavas who became the main pillar of the society and had established their hegemony.

 Radha left a strong impression on my mind. After some years, I read many more things about Illambazar but still that Illambazar of Radha, with her dense Sal forest,  the view of Ichhai Ghosher Deul on the other bank of river Ajay, with  her Dol Yatra ,  her shops of bangle and toys made with lacquer, was never erased .

I was passionately longing to see this town and especially the Hat Tala ( pronounced as Towla) Temple.  I  knew  why this temple has some foreign figures, why the roof  is not like other terracotta temples but alas ! I did not know  how to reach there !

I had this information that Illambazar  is in Birbhum district  situated  on the northern bank of  the Ajay. One may go there either from Santiniketan or from Calcutta by taking Durgapore Expressway then Panagarh - Morgram highway. But what about Hat Tala ? I was a little bit sad to not to have the exact detail. As I was out of Calcutta and out of The country for many years , it was not possible for me to arrange the trip. Even when I was at Santiniketan, I did not have the proper guidance to reah there.

Then I met Mr. Satyasri Ukil , the grandson of famous artist Mukul Chandra De,  on facebook .Once upon a time, Mukul Chandra  De  took photos of many terracotta temples of Birbhum district and thereby created a historical photo documentation on that subject. 

  With a pleasant surprise I saw Satyasrida posting some of his own snaps of that temple . I decided to ask him about the road map so that  when I would be in Calcutta, I might go there.

On January 2017, I had a chance to go to Calcutta and fortunately Satyasrida was at Santiniketan then. I, with my husband, went to his place , i.e. in Mukul De Archives and he gladly furnished all the detail.

Next day, both of us, my husband and I , took a car and started for Bakreshwar and on our way back, Illambazar. He gave information for another two villages which we could not cover this time, because of our tight schedule. We hope to go those villages in near future.

Thank you Satyasrida ! Thank you very very very much !

Some photos here for our viewers !

For detail itinerary, please contact :
00918697421664

e-mail -
hummingbirdtt2@gmail.com

If you are a Terracotta Temple Lover, you'd appreciate this temple -- I assure you !

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