Pancharatna Gobinda Mandir - Bangladesh

Address

Pancharatna Gobinda Mandir Puthia Rajbari Complex, Puthia – Bagha Rd, Bangladesh

Diety

Krishna

Introduction

Pancharatna Gobinda Mandir is a Krishna temple of the Puthia Temple Complex in Puthia Upazila, Rajshahi Division, and Bangladesh. Puthia town where the temple is located is accessible by road, 32 km away from Rajshahi town. Pancharatna Gobinda Temple is the most significant, located inside the palace, on the left-hand side of the inner courtyard.

Puranic Significance

It was erected between 1823 and 1895 by Prem Narayan Roy, a Jaminder (feudal landowner) from Puthia royal family. This ornate temple is an imposing and excellent example of the five spire style (Pancha Ratna) temple architecture mixed with typical Jor-Bangla style. The temple is dedicated to Lord Krishna, as the Puthia royal family was converted to Vaishnavism by Radhamohana Thakura. Today the temple has a Krishna deity in the sanctuary for worship. Pancharatna Gobinda Temple is a large, square structure, built on a raised platform. It is 12.25 meters in size on each side. It has one central room which is the sanctuary and four square size small rooms in four corners. There are four entrances on four sides of the sanctuary, but the main entrance is located on the west side. The Cornish of the temple is a little curved in design. It has four ornate towers in the four corners and a big central tower. Unlike the Kantaji Temple in Dinajpur, it has its towers intact. In 1886 and 1897 A.D. there were two great earthquakes in this area when most of the structures were severely damaged, including the palace of Puthia and not so far the towers of Kantaji temple. But because of the building technique, nothing happened to this temple. The stairs of this temple to go upstairs is located on the south side of the temple beside the entrance. The Pancharatna Gobinda Temple has exquisite terracotta ornamentation depicting the divine romance between Krishna and Radha as told in the epics. It also has battle scenery from Ramayana and Mahabharata, the epic books, and scenery of different deities, the general life of people and culture, and flora and fauna.