Bahulara Siddheswar Temple, West Bengal

Address

Bahulara Siddheswar Temple, Bolara, Onda 2, Bahulara, West Bengal 722144

Diety

Siddheswar, Buddha, Trithakaras

Introduction

Bahulara Ancient Temple is located in Bahulara village in the Onda II village panchayat, in the Onda CD block in the Bankura Sadar subdivision of the Bankura district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is 5 km (3.1 mi) from Ondagram railway station and 25 km (16 mi) from Bishnupur ,Situated on the banks of the Dwarakeswar River, “Siddheshwara temple at Bahulara in the Bankura district is probably the finest specimen of a brick built rekha deul temple of medieval period now standing ruins in Bengal,” according to Nalini Bhattasali. The topmost portion of the spire, called the amalaka, has been damaged at some point in the past. The temple is comes under List of Monuments of National Importance in West Bengal the Ancient Temple at Bahulara is an ASI listed monument.

Puranic Significance

The Siddheshwara Shiva temple at Bahulara is well known for its unique architectural style and exquisite cut-brick and lime-stucco ornamentation of the walls. This shaivite temple, located upon a huge iron-age habitational or ritualistic mound, is considered to be the finest specimen of brick rekha deul temple made on the lines of Kalinga architecture and is ascribed to the early to mid-Pala period. Possibly it was built sometime approximately around 8th-11th century CE as a Jain/Buddhist shrine and later on got reconsecrated as a shaivite monument by the Malla monarchs of Bishnupur. Other than the central Shiva lingam the sanctum sanctorum or the garbhagriha has figurines of Ganesha, Jain tirthankar Parshvsanatha and one of Mahisasurmardini. The exterior of the temple is covered with magnificent stucco ornamentation woven across beautiful intricacies of cut-brick designs. The area around the temple has many ancient relics and old mounds that echoes the extensive and intensive natures of long and enigmatic histories that the place entombs. Height of this temple is 19.2 metre at present.

Special Features

Prior to the dominance of Shaivism and Shaktism, the area was influenced by Buddhism and Jainism from the late millenniums BCE to the early centuries CE