Jalpaiguri
| Author:Laxman Burdak, IFS (R) |
Jalpaiguri (जलपाईगुड़ी) is a city and district in West Bengal.
Variants
- New Jalpaiguri (न्यू जलपाईगुड़ी)
Location
The city is located on the banks of the Teesta River which is the second largest river in West Bengal after the Ganges, on the foothills of the Himalayas.[1] It lies 35 km east of its twin city, Siliguri. It is situated at a height of 89m from Mean Sea Level. The city lies very close to the Himalayas and on the left bank of Teesta river. Karla River is another major river of Jalpaiguri which flows through city.
Origin of name
The name "Jalpaiguri" comes from the word "Jalpai" meaning olive, and "Guri" meaning a place.[2]
History
Jalpesh Mandir, Maynaguri
Tej Ram Sharma [3] writes that the Nepala valley originally contained a lake called Naga Basa or Kalihrada, in which lived Naga Karkotaka. It was fourteen miles in length and four miles in breadth [4]
The former name of Nepala was Slesmatakavana. [5] The famous temple of Pasupatinatha on the western bank of the Bagmati River, is situated about three miles north west of Kathmandu in the town of Devipatan said to have been founded by Asoka's daughter Carumati. [6] The Saktisangama Tantra describes the country of Nepala as placed between Jaṭesvara and Yogini. [7] Sircar equates Yoginipura with Delhi and Jatesvara with Jalpesvara, the famous Siva of the Jalpaiguri district in North Bengal. [8]
Jalpesh Mandir is an old and famous temple of Lord Shiva, located at Jalpesh near Maynaguri of Jalpaiguri district of North Bengal. The Jalpesh Temple is approximately 3 kilometres from away Mainaguri. It is dedicated to Lord Jalpeshwar (Siva). During the month of July-August (Shravan), thousands of pilgrims come to Jalpesh Mandir to offer special puja to Lord Shiva. [9]
The temple is of historical significance since its first inception in 800 AD. The temple was first built by the successor of king Bhagadatta named Jalpesh. Temple was destructed by Bakhtiyar Khalji during his Kamarupa invasion. Later it was renovated by Basu Singh, the father of Koochbehar's king Maharaja Narayan in 1525 AD.[10]
Jatileswar Temple, Maynaguri
Jatileswar Mahadev Temple, Mainaguri, a Brick temples of Bengal, established between the 16th and 19th century unfolds one of the most distinctive groups of sacred monuments in India. The temple is strategically located in Mainaguri, 13 kilometers from the main town of Jalpaiguri in West Bengal. As the name suggests this temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva, the one with the Jata-Juta (matted locks). Due to multiple artistic attractions portraying in the region during this period, the Brick temples of Bengal exhibit a wide range of forms and techniques of construction. Hence the temples constitute a consistent series in their architecture and sculpture, which were typically displayed in brick and terracotta.
Jatileswar Mahadev Temple in Maynaguri can be considered as one of the most important manifestations of the culture of this region.
They are closely associated with contemporary movements in religion, literature and the arts. They were even correlated with broader political, social and economic developments.
During the early Hindu period, Bengali temples were based on the Mayuryan and Pre-Mayuryan art of India. In this early stage, the terracottas consist of stray cult pieces of small sizes. In later stages, terracotta plaques appeared with new designs that were different from the primitive illustration of the same theme.
Constructed during the Medieval era of the Gupta Dynasty, Jatileshwar Mahadev Temple is believed to be around 1000 years old. It can be regarded as an epitome of the old world architecture.
New Jalpaiguri railway station
New Jalpaiguri Junction railway station established in 1960, broad gauge and narrow-gauge railway station under Katihar railway division of Northeast Frontier Railway zone. It is the largest as well as the busiest railway junction of Northeast India. This Junction is among the three railway stations which serves the city of Siliguri, the largest metropolis of the North Bengal. The other two stations are- Siliguri Junction and Siliguri Town. New Jalpaiguri junction serves as the entry point to Sikkim, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and the seven northeastern states (Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and Meghalaya). New Jalpaiguri Junction acts as a connecting base for the Northeastern states to the Indian mainland.
External links
References
- ↑ http://jalpaiguri.gov.in/html/tourism.html
- ↑ Raha, Manis Kumar (1989). Matriliny to Patriliny: A Study of the Rabha Society. Gian Publishing House. p. 22.
- ↑ Personal and geographical names in the Gupta inscriptions, p. 260
- ↑ Geographical Dictionary of Ancient and Medieval India by N. L. Dey, p. 140
- ↑ Historical Geography of Ancient India by B. C. Law, p. 113
- ↑ Historical Geography of Ancient India by B. C. Law, pp. 113-14
- ↑ Studies in the Geography of Ancient and Medieval India by D. C. Sircar, p. 77
- ↑ Book III, ch. VII. v. 36 : "जटेश्वरं समारभ्य योगिन्यन्तं महेश्वरि। नेपाल देशो देवेशि...।"
- ↑ https://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserReviews-g12432341-d10146762-r537422969-Jalpesh_Temple-Maynaguri_Jalpaiguri_District_West_Bengal.html
- ↑ https://northbengaltourism.com/jalpesh-temple/