Bankura Gokulchand Temple, West Bengal

Address

Bankura Gokulchand Temple, Gakulnagar, West Bengal 722138

Diety

Shiva, Vishnu

Introduction

Gakulchand Temple is a 17th-century stone built pancharatna temple in Gakulnagar village in the Joypur block in the Bishnupur subdivision of the Bankura district in the state of West Bengal, India. Gokulchand temple at Gakulnagar as one of the earliest pancharatna temples of the Malla kings. Along with the at-chala, the pancharatna is the most popular type of temple in Bengal. With a 45 feet square base, it is built of laterite with stucco figures. According to the badly damaged temple plate it was built in 1643

Puranic Significance

This pancharatna (five-pinnacled) temple at Gokulnagar is the largest stone temple in Bankura district. It is 64 ft. in height and the area of temple complex is 23,500 sq. ft. According to the ASI information board at the temple, it was built in 1643, during the reign of the Malla king, Raghunath Simha. The style of construction of the temple is similar to that of the Shaymaraya temple at Bishnupur. The wall decorations depict various avatars of Vishnu, Shiva and raslila motifs and other mythological incidents. The temple was in a bad shape and plundered till it was taken over by the Archaeological Survey of India in 1996. The idol of Lord Krishna has long been removed to Bishnupur big temple.