| Madangopal Jiu Temple ( মদনগোপাল জীউ মন্দির ) |
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The temple in its early days.
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 Madangopal Jiu Temple
( মদনগোপাল জীউ মন্দির ) Location in West Bengal
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| Name | |
| Other names | Gopaler Mondir (গোপালের মন্দির) |
| Proper name | Madangopal Jiu Temple |
| Devanagari | मदनगोपाल जीऊ मंदिर |
| Sanskrit transliteration | Madanagōpala jī'ū Mandira |
| Bengali | মদনমোহন জীউ মন্দির |
| Geography | |
| Coordinates | 22°28′00″N 87°54′21″E / 22.4668°N 87.9057°ECoordinates: 22°28′00″N 87°54′21″E / 22.4668°N 87.9057°E |
| Country | India |
| State | West Bengal |
| Locale | Mellock |
| Culture | |
| Primary deity | Radha and Madangopala |
| Important festivals | Janmastami and Holi |
| Architecture | |
| Number of temples | 1 |
| Number of monuments | 1 |
| History and governance | |
| Date built | 17th Century AD |
| Creator | Mukundaprasad Roychowdhury |
Madangopal Jiu Temple (Bengali: মদনগোপাল জীউ মন্দির ) is a temple in in the village of Mellock, near Samta, in the Indian state of West Bengal. The temple is locally known as Gopaler Mondir, which literally means the temple of Gopala, that is, Krishna.
The temple is a terracotta ornamented aatchala (roof with 8 slopes) temple of Radha and Madangopal and was built in the 17th century AD by Mukundaprasad Roychoudhury, a descent of the Roychowdhury Zamindars of Mellock. Then the Rupnarayan River used to flow not far away from the temple, but over the time it changed its course and has now moved further away.
The temple is now in ruins. Reconstruction work was started in the early 2010s but stopped midway.
Contents
Etymology[edit]
'Madangopal' is actually a combination of two titles or names of Lord Krishna, namely 'Madan', which means he Lord of love and 'Gopal', which means one who plays with the cowherds while 'Jiu' is the Bengali alternative of the Hindi word 'Ji', which is used to show respect towards someone. So, the total sums up to mean - "the temple of the respected Lord of love who plays with the cowherds."
The locals call the temple by the name 'Gopaler Mondir', which means the temple of Gopal. 'Mondir' means temple and the suffix '-er' just signifies one's possession and is the Bengali alternative of the apotrophe s ('s) of the English language.
History[edit]
The village of Mellock has a history that dates back to centuries. Both the village and the temple are situated on the fertile plains of the river Rupnarayan. The temple is dilapidated and was under reconstruction and renovation since the early 2010s but work suddenly stopped midway.[citation needed].
It was built in the 17th sentury AD by Mukundaprasad Roychoudhury, who was reputed in the village to be very strong and muscular. He was a wrestler too. And in those days, the road to the temple was connected to the barrage by a small wooden bridge. It is said that Mukundaprasad would carry two heavy stone dumbbells in his arms to the temple. This meant to be his exercise. He would cross the wooden bridge with those stones and neither did he use to get tired nor did the wooden bridge ever break. One of the stone dumbbells is still kept in the campus of the temple and one can notice the impressions of the arms of Roychoudhury, which is a result of the force exerted by him while carrying it.
Architecture and culture[edit]
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The temple[edit]
The temple is a terracotta ornamented temple and its roof has eight slopes. The main entrance with three arches faces the south. One additional entrance is on the east side. The east entrance leads to a small room, adjacent to the garbhagriha, or the main room. The temple is approximately 40 feet high.
The temple has number of sculptures and designs on it.
Deity[edit]
The deity worshipped in the temple is Radha and Madangopal. The idol of Radha is much shorter than the idol of Madangopal. However, now as the temple is in ruins the idols have been kept in a nearby house.
Festivals[edit]
Dol Yatra or Holi is held every year a day after Dol Purnima and the idols are carried to the nearby house of the Mukherjees in an ancient wooden palanquin. Special rituals are performed and at evening the idol is brought back to the temple. During the return journey bonfires are placed alongside the path and the people carrying the palanquin have to make their way through it.
On the day of Janmashtami also special pujas are held.
Gallery[edit]
- Madanmohan-jiu Temple Gallery
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The brick works on the temple's wall.
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The ornamented temple at Samta.
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Madangopal Jiu Temple or Gopaler Mondir under renovation.
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Renovation work going on.
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The palanquin used to carry the idols is reputed to be very old.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
External links[edit]
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