Antpur
Encyclopedia
Antpur is a village in Jangipara
community development bloc of the Srirampore subdivision
in the Hooghly District
in the Indian state of West Bengal
. It is around 20 km from Tarakeswar
, the famous temple town and railhead for the Sheoraphuli
–Tarakeswar section.
in 1786 (1708 Shakabda). Its Chandi Mandap and Dol Mancha have beautifully crafted wood carvings.
The period when the temple was built was curious. Muslim rule was ebbing out and the Europeans were making forays into the country. It is said that Krishna Ram Mitra built the temple to enthuse the Hindus. Terracota work which was earlier an exclusive preserve of Bishnupur
artisans was no more so. While Radha and Krishna are predominant in the carvings, there also is the goddess Durga, whose worship had been revived in a big way by Nabakrishna Deb
of Shovabazar Rajbari in 1757.
Besides the main temple of Radhagovindjiu are the temples of Gangadhara, Fuleswara, Rameswara, Jaleswara and Baneswara.
Antpur was the village home of Baburam Ghosh (later Swami Premananda). It was at Antpur that Swami Vivekananda
and eight other disciples of Sri Ramakrishna
took their vow of ‘sannyasa’ on 24 December 1886. The Ramakrishna-Premananda Ashram of Antpur has built a temple on the birth-place of Swami Pramananda.
Antpur's rural economy has developed due to the presence of the famous temples listed above. There is a constant stream of middle-class devotees who visit Antpur. The villagers are accustomed to vehicular traffic and other exposure to the life-styles of well-off Indians and foreigners.
Rajbalhat
, 20 minutes by bus from Antpur, is famous for handloom saris.
-Shiakhala-Champadanga
narrow-gauge route of the Martin's Light Railways
, a private rail service established in 1892. The rail company was shut down in 1971, and the tourist flow to the village declined gradually after that.
Jangipara
Jangipara is an administrative division in Srirampore subdivision of Hooghly district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Jangipara police station serves this block...
community development bloc of the Srirampore subdivision
Srirampore subdivision
Srirampore subdivision , is a subdivision of the Hooghly district in the state of West Bengal, India. It consists of five municipalities and four community development blocks: Chanditala–I, Chanditala–II, Jangipara and Sreerampur Uttarpara. The four blocks contain 37 gram panchayats...
in the Hooghly District
Hooghly District
Hooghly district is one of the districts of the state of West Bengal in India. It can alternatively be spelt Hoogli or Hugli. The district is named after the Hooghly River.The headquarters of the district are at Chinsura...
in the Indian state of West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
. It is around 20 km from Tarakeswar
Tarakeswar
Tarakeswar is a town and a municipality in Hooghly District in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a police station in Chandannagar subdivision. Tarakeswar is a renowned place of pilgrimage and the greatest centre of the Shiva sect in West Bengal. 58 km away from Kolkata, Tarakeswar can be...
, the famous temple town and railhead for the Sheoraphuli
Sheoraphuli
Sheoraphuli is a small town in Hooghly district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority.- History :...
–Tarakeswar section.
History
The most famous temple in Antpur is that of Radhagovindjiu with exquisite terracotta carvings depicting stories from all the 18 puranas. This 100 feet high temple was constructed by Krishna Ram Mitra, the Diwan of Bardhaman RajBardhaman Raj
The Bardhaman Raj was a zamindari estate that flourished from about 1657 to 1955, first under the Mughals and then under the British in the province of Bengal in India...
in 1786 (1708 Shakabda). Its Chandi Mandap and Dol Mancha have beautifully crafted wood carvings.
Bishnupur, West Bengal
Bishnupur is a town and a municipality in Bankura District in the state of West Bengal, India. It is famous for its terracotta temples and the balucheri sarees.- History :...
artisans was no more so. While Radha and Krishna are predominant in the carvings, there also is the goddess Durga, whose worship had been revived in a big way by Nabakrishna Deb
Nabakrishna Deb
Nabakrishna Deb , founder of the Shovabazar Raj family, was instrumental in a plot against Nawab Siraj-ud-Daula...
of Shovabazar Rajbari in 1757.
Besides the main temple of Radhagovindjiu are the temples of Gangadhara, Fuleswara, Rameswara, Jaleswara and Baneswara.
Antpur was the village home of Baburam Ghosh (later Swami Premananda). It was at Antpur that Swami Vivekananda
Swami Vivekananda
Swami Vivekananda , born Narendranath Dutta , was the chief disciple of the 19th century mystic Ramakrishna Paramahansa and the founder of the Ramakrishna Math and the Ramakrishna Mission...
and eight other disciples of Sri Ramakrishna
Ramakrishna
Ramakrishna , born Gadadhar Chattopadhyay , was a famous mystic of 19th-century India. His religious school of thought led to the formation of the Ramakrishna Mission by his chief disciple Swami Vivekananda – both were influential figures in the Bengali Renaissance as well as the Hindu...
took their vow of ‘sannyasa’ on 24 December 1886. The Ramakrishna-Premananda Ashram of Antpur has built a temple on the birth-place of Swami Pramananda.
Geography
Villages in Antpur panchayat are as follows: Atpur, Rajhati, Bilara, Lohagachhi, Ranibazar, Anarbati, Arabindapur, Tarajol, Raipur, Bamnagar, Tara, Palgachha, Kumarbazar, Ichhabati, Gopalpur, and MirpurDemographics
Antpur had a population of 2,548 out of which 944 belonged to scheduled castes and 17 belonged to scheduled tribes.Economy
Rajbalhat
Rajbalhat
Rajbalhat is a village in Jangipara community development block of Srirampore subdivision in Hooghly District in the Indian state of West Bengal..-History:Tradition has it that Rajbalhat was once the capital of the Bhursut kingdom...
, 20 minutes by bus from Antpur, is famous for handloom saris.
Transport
Now, one has to go to Antpur by road either directly from Kolkata or from Tarakeswar or Haripal. Earlier Antpur was a station on the Howrah-AmtaAmta
Amta I is an administrative division in Uluberia subdivision of Howrah district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Amta police station serves this block...
-Shiakhala-Champadanga
Champadanga
Champadanga is a village under Tarakeswar bloc and police station in Chandannagore subdivision of Hooghly district in the Indian state of West Bengal.-Economics:This is a rich agricultural area with several cold storages. Chief products are potato and rice....
narrow-gauge route of the Martin's Light Railways
Martin's Light Railways
Martin's Light Railways was a private company operating railways in India. The routes on which trains were run by Martin's Light Railways are as shown below: gauge Howrah Maidan-Amta and Howrah-Shiakhala lines ....
, a private rail service established in 1892. The rail company was shut down in 1971, and the tourist flow to the village declined gradually after that.