SIVA THE ICON - I

Tension between the imageries of Siva

'If he is naked what need he has of bow?
If armed with bow then why the holy ashes?
If smeared with ashes what needs he has with a woman?
Or if with her, then how can he hate Love?'

- 'Asceticism and eroticism in the mythology of Siva', Wendy O'Flabberty.Translation from a Sanskrit poem written perhaps around 1000AD.

Bhikshatana Siva - The Wandering Mendicant.Matted unbound hair, naked except a girdle of snake around his hip,wearing sandals ( the only imagery of Siva wearing a footwear ), skull of Brahma in his left hand. Siva is naked, but, not ithyphallic. A dog accompanies Siva.

Interpreting the intrinsic meanings of Hindu Iconography is a subject that requires scholastic understanding of our religious history, ditto of mythological tales and study of allied fields. As I glanced through some of the work on Iconography of Siva, written by Western writers during my visit to NY in 2010, I found the list of books and articles each of them referred to is simply enormous. Among the writings I went through,I was most impressed by the book of Anne Marie-Gaston, an exponent of Bharat-natyam herself, on Siva’s dance-form, as expressed in wall-reliefs in temples across India and Stella Kramrisch. The other books I could lay my hands are by Homer John Custead and Charles Dillard Collins.

Present day anthropomorphic image of Siva

It is quite well understood that the worship of Siva as a ‘Linga’ has a long history. But, Siva in his sitting posture, with the crescent on his matted hair, tiger-skin covering his loin, trident on his right-hand, is comparatively new. The first image of a Yogi, wearing buffalo-horns as his head-gear, sitting in a straight posture, ithyphallic – ‘unencumbered by a loin cloth’ is where we start from. This image ( see below) is from Harappa and probably dates back to BC. Was he a god of Fertility? Was he a Lord of animals – a ‘Pasupati’ among the non-Aryan gods? There is no answer yet.

A pre-Vedic age imagery of an ithyphallic Yogi, presumed to be a god of fertility and a Lord of animals ('Pasupati' )

Then we have Rgveda slokas,referring to 'Rudra', the Roarer .The Roarer was an archer too. But, Rgveda has no mention of Siva .One point is very clear – Siva is no vedic god. A lot has been written by serious students of Siva’s mythology on evolution of Siva/Mahadeva from the Yogi of Harappa , tension between Siva’s imageries as erotic/ascetic, benevolent/ferocious.

A coin from Kushan era.King Vasudeva ( 190-230 AD ) on the left. On the right, Oshio - probably derived from a Prakrit word 'HAVESA',representing the Sanskrit word 'Bhavesha', the Lord of Being. The ithyphallic god has his trident in his left hand and is accompanied by his bull. ( Note : 1)

Bhikshatana Siva - The Wandering Mendicant, at Darukavana. Wives of sages submit themselves to Siva as an cuckolded sage gesticulates furiously. Siva's finger is raised upwards, a gesture copied centuries later by a sculptor , who created a statue of Siva's disciple Sambandar (Note : 2)

Photo : Obliged to Sardonik , Trekearth.

Yet another depiction of Bhikshatana Siva . Parsvanath temple at Ranakpur, Rajasthan. Siva is not young and his hairs not unbound like the preceding image . Siva is naked, but, not ithyphallic.Wives of the sages are seen dancing around him.I did not understand the relevance of the dancing figures when I took this photo in Sept,2009... thus missed out the details of the RH side.

Among the mythological tales woven around Siva/Mahadeva , the most interesting are :

• Beheading of Brahma.
• Bhikshatana Siva and his encounter with the sages of Darukavana after their wives fell for Siva’s charm.
• Dance of Siva after he vanquished the challenges of the sages of Darukavana.
• Slaying of Gajasura. Destroyer of Tripura.
• Dance of Siva after Andhakasura was tamed & Gajasura slayed. 
• Hari-Hara.
• Androgynous Siva.
• Birth of Kartikeya.

Stone statue of Natesh Siva from Bangladesh.Siva dances on Nandi , not Apasmara.
Siva is  ithyphallic.

Through ages, followers of Saiva sect have added to their sacred text. The ‘tales’ have been written and re-written, trying to establish the supremacy of Saiva sect above the other. Upper class Aryans have come into the fold of this sect….yet a large group of those on the fringe of the society continued to be followers of Siva.

A painting showing Siva and Parvati in mountain Kailash, as Ravana shakes it.This imagery has been used repeatedly by Indian sculptors.

All these, specially the rivalry among sects, added much to the ‘twists’ of the tales. One point is clear…. There seems to a lot of conflict between Siva and Brahma in Hindu mythology. One of the Western writers I mentioned above has drawn an arrow diagram that portrays the conflicts between the two from the starting phase to development in the Bhikshatana Siva and Natesh Siva imageries. 
I have taken the liberty of using a few photos from the Internet .I acknowledge the debt with thanks.

Three manifestations of Siva - somber,benign and ferocious. Photo taken at Chittor, Rajasthan.According to Hindu mythology, Siva has eight manifestations -Sarva,Pasupati,Ugra,Asani,Bhava,Mahadeva,Isana and Rudra.

No blog on Siva's Iconography can end without a para on and a photo from Elephanta Cave. A very nice reference book is written by Charles Dillard Collins , title being 'The Iconography and ritual of Siva at Elephanta'.We find the earliest reference of this cave in the record of Gracio da Orta, a Portuguese physician and scientist,in the company of Portuguese sea Captain Martin Afonso de Soma. He wrote : '.....On the walls , all around,there are sculptured images of elephants,lions,tigers,and many human images,some like Amazons, in many other shapes well-sculptured..Certainly it is a sight , well worth seeing, and it would appear that the devil had used all its powers and knowledge to deceive the gentiles into its worship'. An useful link to an exhaustive album is at : http://www.google.com/images?q=elephanta+caves+pictures&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=xFNUTPX1BcG78gavscX-Ag&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CCAQsAQwAA&biw=922&bih=520.

I have picked a nice photo from this album. The relief shows marriage of Siva and Parvati , again an imagery which inspired sculptors through centuries .

Siva-Parvati's marriage - Kalyansundarmurti. Elephanta caves. Source - Internet.

I end with one terra cotta panel from the hexagonal temple ( 19th century) of Ilambazar, Birbhum district , WB which shows an unconventional depiction og the Ganges coming down to the earth ...... she is not shown as coming down on the matted lock of Siva !

From left to right : Bishnu,Ganga riding on makara, Bhagiratha praying with folded hands,Siva, ithyphallic Ganesha and Bhagiratha looks up as the river flows down to the earth.

Notes :

1. Refer to page 791 on the Trident of Poseidon, 'Zeus - A study in ancient religion,vol-2, part-1'. http://books.google.com/books?id=Ys83AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA791&lpg=PA791&dq=oisho+with+bull&source=bl&ots=Q0I4_Bsw8c&sig=k9zuiaQBqeXLtb3J9OyiRDDlM8Y&hl=en&ei=fXxVTIKfN8T58AabrYTgBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CCYQ6AEwBTgU#v=onepage&q=oisho%20with%20bull&f=false

2.View : http://postbalki.wordpress.com/2009/01/31/kolaru-pathigam-from-gnanasambandar-surprisingly-different-1/

A WALK ON 5TH AVENUE

5th Avenue the Great !

When Ruby and I came to New York from Banbury (Oxfordshire), some of my friends thought that we would stay away from the more crowded areas of New York for weeks. We visited London and Oxford for one day each,, which, well.... was far less than 'enough'. One of them has vowed to come down to Banbury during the 2nd stint there in August-September and make us travel to Oxford by train and visit Bodelian Library.

Ruby standing in front of 'The Ego and the Id' ( Sculpture by : Franz West.20' tall. Hardly impressive !

We ,however, were not lazy about '5th Avenue' at all. Within a few days of our arrival in NY for a 8+ weeks' stay, Ruby and I went to visit the 'temples' of brands of high fashion.We started from Bay Pkway station of Brooklyn at around 4.15 pm and got down at 5thAve/59th Street station. On our left was the southern corner of Central Park. We walked along the footpath with kiosk of books, children playing around the 'The Ego and the Id'.We found the whistle-blowing Traffic Police persons in the same state of agitation as in Calcutta.

Not a moment of rest for these Traffic control police persons. Crossing between 59th Street and 5th Avenue.

Next,we crossed the 5th Avenue and went down to the underground shop of 'MAC'. A very crowded joint with visitors and enthusiasts overflowing the Shop. The price tags generates a bit of awe. For a couple of years, my elder son suggested if I should buy a mini-Mac, but I never took the plunge. Later, we sat by the side of the fountain of this plaza and started our walk.

I am standing in front of the 'Apple' Store on 5th Avenue.

Fountain by the the side of the 'Apple' Store

The great brand names were ablaze in an area of 2 blocks X 2 blocks. Armani, Dior, Louis Vuitton , Yves Saint Laurence, Sony ,Prada, Swarovski...... et all. Tall handsome young men in dark formal attires were supervising the entrances of these high temples. If one of them ever think of writing about his experiences, it will be 'who's who' among the top celebrities of the nations. The mannequins , however, were mostly uninteresting except for those in the windows of Bergdorf Goodman. We did not venture into any of these 'high fashion' shops ..... the doormen looking formidable.....but took a stroll into Swarovski and Sony. Swarovski salespersons were very friendly but tried not to mention that whatever items we enquired about were manufactured in Thailand. In the showroom of Sony, we had the very 1st exposure to 3-D TV. A children's cartoon was being played and a few persons stayed glued to the visitors' seats, though I did not find the show great !

'Eiffel tower' painted at the entrance of Louis Vuitton store.

Refection of one skyscraper on another , opposite Bergdorf Goodman.

A passer-by stares at a mannequin, attired in a very fashionable dress. The array of shark/skeleton/other strange objects makes this window very special, whereas refection of a car whizzing past make the scene very real ! To enjoy the big-sized photo, please click on the photograph or request for the original size .

It was nearly dark before we returned to 5thAve/59th Street station....... en route we took photographs of the fun items ,e.g., rickshaws and horse-drawn carts. I took a few photos of the pond of Central Park and Pulitzer fountain in Grand Army Plaza. Another 2-3 hours of walking and clicking will complete this photo-feature.

View of Grand Army Plaza - statue of goddess Pomona ( godess of wealth) atop the fountain on the left hand side, quiet in the middle of crowded 5th Avenue-59th Street crossing.

A place for everyone...... fast and stylish cars, limousines, rickshaws and even horse-drawn carts !

PS - Getting into N-train was not easy for me that evening. I was slow to enter after the Metrocard swipe and the 'Go' signal. Babai advised me to walk to the next station instead of waiting for the mandatory 20 minutes. Ruby and I walked to '7th Avenue/57th Street' station, but that took no less than 20 minutes. We should have waited for 20 minutes coolly and take a few more photos !

View of two skyscrapers beyond Central Park.

SUMMER VACATION @ BANBURY, OXFORDSHIRE

ENRICHING EXPERIENCE : HISTORY OF INDIAN ARTS

Statue of Hari-Hara in British Museum

I write this blog for me as well as for two of my young friends ,one in Pune,india and the other in London, UK.

Pankaj Sakpal of Pune is a Design specialist, but, I know him through flickr.He is one of my few acquaintances who has an appetite for non-fictional books . He was the first person to invite me to make a presentation on Bengal's terra cotta temples to a small gathering of his friends in Pune when I visited that city in 2008.

Amit Guha is an IITian who lives in London ,and in spite of his busy schedule, devotes a lot of energy for the cause of Bengal's terra cotta temples.Whenever he is home in Calcutta, he steals two or more days from his crowded schedule for visiting terra cotta temples in a small town or a village in West Bengal's districts. I could not act on his suggestion of visiting British Museum's lecture session on Indian Art organised by SOAS, but, could find other opportunities in this line.

Four weeks at Banbury is a vacation , not a sight-seeing trip. My wife Ruby and I spent good amount of time at home, with family members, on computer , sorting out the large nos of photographs we have taken on our days out. My vacation has been considerably enriched by the very helpful and kind persons at Banbury Library.

Earlier during 1970s, during stint in Glasgow , I got myself enrolled in a local library.It was a small one. The library in Banbury cannot be called a big one , but adequate for a small community of 35000 people.Ground floor of this Library has 5 major sections : non-fictional, fictional,children-specific,audio books &video and large print . The entire 1st floor is for reference section on various subjects, town's history and lineage of families, maps/directories and computers.

I found a book on 'Hindu Iconography' written by Margaret Stutley in the reference book section of Oxford's public library .I got a very favourable response from the authorities .The book was sent across to the library in Oxfordshire for my studying and copying . This library has several excellent books on 'History of Arts' section. For example, books on Classical art from Greece and Rome, Isms and understanding Art, which I could never find in National Library or Asiatic Society in Calcutta.

Statue of Lakulisha in British Museum

I have scanned lots of pages from this book of 'Hindu Iconography', specially several manifestations of Shiva/Rudra. My interest in this matter was aroused by the statue of Hari-Hara and ithyphallic Lakulisha ( was he a great Shaiva sage from Gujarat , 200 AD or a manifestation of Shiva *) in British Museum. The evolution of Shiva's current imagery from the pre-Vedic days to 20th/21st centuries ia interesting reading....... I shall collect more materials regd. this subject once I return to Calcutta. Many scholars believe that pre-Vedic Shiva and Vedic Rudra merged during course of centuries , during which there used be a lot of conflict between the followers of Vishnu and Shiva.

I have little knowledge in Jain Iconography...... may be Pankaj has. See the Jain equivalent of Rudra's image ( Ranakpur temple) in : http://www.flickr.com/photos/cshyamal/3987378782/ and Bhairav's photos in : http://sudhansu-nayak.blogspot.com/2009/01/64-yogini-temple-hirapur-detailed-view.html.

* A note below the statue describes Lakulisha as one of the biggest Shaiva sages whereas on searching 'Lakulisha' in 'British Museum's website, one finds this :
'an aspect of the Hindu god Shiva standing on the vanquished dwarf of ignorance, Apasmara, and flanked by two diminutive figures.'
(http://www.britishmuseum.org/search_results.aspx?searchText=Lakulisha&withinResults=all&searchPrevious=kakulisha&currentPage=1)

PRESENTATION @ ROTARY SADAN,09/04/2010

Front cover of our Brochure.

Article published in the AnandaBazaar Patrika ahead of the Presentation.

'TERRA COTTA TEMPLE TOURISM"


My friends , Somen Sengupta , Rangan Datta and I got an opportunity to make a presentation to a 160+ strong audience @ Rotary Sadan, Calcutta on 9/4/10 on Terra cotta temples of West Bengal. Somen covered the travel-related subject, Rangan the architecture and I spoke on the 'Iconography'.

Timir Roy, President of Rotary Club of Gardenreach helped us a lot to get this venue . He worked hard on our behalf to get media attention,. Our friend Soumitree Ghosh Dastidar played a very good role in roping in several TV channels.Connections of Rangan Datta and Somen also helped.All in all, our very 1st attempt did receive good publicity and audience support.

We started dot @ 6.30 pm with Timir and Ruby making short introduction about the subject and speakers.We could finish our Presentation within the scheduled time ......did not drag at all!

We three felt happy to note that the audience sat through the 3-part presentation .... however, the question-answer session found a part of the crowd melting away.

I am very pleased that I could bring out the best of the plaques of my collection, specially those which have some special point in imagery One example is here : 'Art of reverse similarity'.

'Abduction of Seeta and Jatayu' - Unconventional description @ Gangeswar temple , Baronagar at the centre. Conventional imageries by Ravi Verma and on RadheShyam Temple @ Bishnupur on its two sides.

This panel got a special mention in the article published in the Hindustan Times dated 17/04/10.



We three have planned more such presentations in the future. We have to incorporate a few suggestions :

• Introduce a few hilarious 'moments'. Otherwise , the presentations tend to become a little too 'heavy'.
• A bit of pause between the presentations, perhaps in form of a short Q&A session.
• A mic. on the collar and a hand-held mouse so that the speaker can move around the dais. Staying stuck to the podium looks too formal.
• More joint rehearsals.

I end with thanks to Amitabha Gupta for his designs of our Invitation Card and the brochure, Timir ,Somen, Ruby and Rangan as we could work as a team without friction and the sponsors and well wishers for their support.

A TRIP TO 'RARH' BENGAL - LAND OF TERRA COTTA

SRIBATI - BARONAGAR - GAUR - PANDUA

Somen requested me to post 15 best photographs from the ones we have taken during our trip to 'rarh' Bengal in flickr/kodak/picassa. It is a difficult choice.Besides, I am slow about editing and often I work with writing blogs as a target.

Anyway, as I am progressing with listing and PSing the photos, I have picked up a few from our albums for sharing the same with my friends and relatives.I start with with a mosque , which I thought is the best among the Muslim terra cotta architecture we saw.

Lottan Masjid. 1475 AD ( 500+ years old !!).Built @ the behest of a courtesan . Attributed to sultan Yusuf Shah. Slope of the roof, domes, an extension on the far end and terra cotta motifs impressed us ( photo by RC).

Among the terra cotta work among the Muslim terra cotta architecture , I have selected two as the most representative ones :

Pillars and arch in a monument under restoration @ Gaur. ASI did not fix any notice here and the time of construction,therefore, is unknown to us. Try to visualise the grand view when , centuries ago,
the coloured tiles were intact.

Terra cotta decoration on the western wall @ Adina Masjid built by sultan Sikandar Shah between 1364-74 AD,
supposedly the largest in Asia !
Simply majestic !

The history of construction of this huge Masjid stares at your eyes as you come across scores of Hindu deities abounding the structure !

No caption needed...... from one of the pillars of the gate to the Nave.

Terra cotta and other temples of Baronagar were overwhelming . Those at Sribati can be called cute. I must add that villagers of Sribati were very bitter about indifference of Govt regd. support to the maintenance efforts . They do not get even 1 rupee for removal growth after every monsoon. These temples have panels with lots of stories to tell . Let us try to contribute to the preservation of thises temples .

LH - Krsna kills Kansaraj as Balam looks on. RH - Krsna kills mahut of Kubalayapeerh while Balaram tackles the elephant which is finally killed by Krsna . Baronagar . 1755 AD.
( Photo by RC )

Ravan had a special place in the heart of the person/s who decided on depiction of Ramayana scenes in Charbangla and Gangeswar temples. Those who are interested in more on this aspect may pl open : http://www.flickr.com/photos/maulindu/4054539545/in/set-72157622562648829/. View this Ravan, placed separately, armed and dressed regally.

Finally, 2 panels from Sribati. Sribat has a cluster of 3 temples. One of them is an octagonal temple, quite like
the one at Ilambazar.This temple has many interesting social scenes.

This panel, centrally placed above one of the arches of the octagonal panel, has no figure from mythology !

Who are these characters ?

TEN MANIFESTATIONS OF 'SUPREME' KNOWLEDGE

'DASA MAHA VIDYA' - MANIFESTATIONS FEMALE POWER -
'SHAKTI' IN HINDU MYTHOLOGY

This blog is being written based on an idea that came to my mind during an early morning 'chat' with Amit Guha on 25/01/2010, my young friend from London. He is an enthusiast about terra cotta temples of Bengal. We were talking about motifs and icons when I told him about not so many 'Dasa MahaVidya' images being seen in our terra cotta temples.

Later during the evening, I searched 'Dasa MahaVidya' in the internet and found a lot of material regarding the tantric side of 'Dasa MahaVidya', the 'Yantras' et all. One can do one's own search and read whatever s/he likes. I have the simple story here for Amit and a few terra cotta panels.

The story I read as a child is this : Sati, daughter of Daksha the king, married Shiva against her father's will. To humiliate the couple, Daksha organised a very large gathering around a religious pyre ("Yagna') . Here, the rich and famous of that era were invited , but for Shiva and Sati.

Sati was keen to be present at this 'Yagna' ,even though she was not invited . Shiva vehemently opposed her decision. The quarrel reached its peak when Sati transformed herself into multiple ( ten) appearances. Shiva was thus subdued and allowed Sati to join her father's 'Yagna'. This led to a tragedy as Sati committed suicide after being insulted by her father in front of distinguished guests. Shiva came to tremendous grief , stormed into the gathering and ransacked the place by ' Tandava'. The ten manifestations of Sati are called 'Dasa MahaVidya'...ten ' supreme' knowledge or revelations.

The ten manifestations are linked with 9 planets and 'Lagna' by tantric devotees. They vary from fierce to benign . Tantric scripture have paean devoted to each of these ten 'Maha Vidya's. I shall post three from my collection of photos here:

Left to right : Top row - Matangi (Planet Sun), Shoroshee (Planet Mercury) and Kamala (Planet Venus). Middle row - Bagala (Planet Mars), Tara (Planet Jupiter) and very likely Barahi ( a Matrika, not one of the 'Maha Vidyas'). Bottom row - Kali (Planet Saturn ), Durga and Chhinnamasta (Planet Rahu ).

'Shoroshee' rests on a lotus rising from the navel of Shiva.Lotus in her upper left hand , blessing in her lower right hand, she is a beautiful woman .

'Dhumavati' (Planet Ketu ) is the only manifestation who is a widow. She is old,ugly with her breasts hanging out and she has fumes all around , being fanned and spread by a 'kulo', a flat contraption used for segregating grains. She rides a chariot pulled by a crow.

TERRA COTTA TEMPLES OF BENGAL - VII

VISIT TO TEMPLES @ ILAMBAZAR AND SURUL, Dt : BIRBHUM DISTRICT


Winter season is the time for us go out in the district and take photographs of terra cotta temples. For quite a while , I had the intention to go Birbhum district for photography. The temples of Birbhum district, I read, are different from the ones we find in Hooghly and Bankura districts. I saw excellent b/w photographs of the panels from Ilambazar temples in a book written by late Mukul De. December 2009 brought the 1st opportunity for a visit to this district.

We had a guest from NY University , a young Israeli guy who is a classmate of my elder
son Sujash. He came for a tour of India and Thailand , centered around the marriage ceremony of Sujash.When I suggested a visit to Shantiniketan and villages of West bengal during his return leg of journey back to the USA through Calcutta, he readily jumped into the offer.



Ruby , Aviv and I started @ 6.20 am on 30/12/2009 from Calcutta and reached Ilambazar by 9.30 am, comfortably with a break for breakfast @ Shaktigarh. To reach the temples, we had to negotiate through a narrow lane and a crowded bazaar

The 1st temple we visited has idols of Gour (Chaitanya Dev and) - Nitai.It is of octagonal shape,terra cotta work all over,quite unique in nature.There are lots of motifs which have quite an Islamic appearance. It has lost its roof, now protected by corrugated sheets . The walk-around, very low in Bengal's standard has just a two rods barrier. However, this protection is effective, since, a good nos of panels are near-intact, except for the ravages of time and weather.It has interesting panels , both mythological and social.Photography, with clothes hung near one face, merchandise all around and shade of corrugated roof affecting the view of the top-side of the panels.


The other temple @ Ilambazar is of Shiva..... is quite a rather small 'Rekha' temple. A very neatly kept temple, very likely maintained by a wealthy family whose dwelling is just adjacent to this temple.It has interesting panels , more on which on other blogs.


Like the temples of Birbhum, this temple has many motifs of 'Shakti' - the female Divine Power. Here is an example :


We liked this temple a lot . The temples we came across in village Surul were small too, well kept and with interesting panels.

First - a few lines on how to locate and reach Surul. Surul village comes on your right as you approach Bolpur along the road to Shantiniketan from Ilambazar.You will cross an Engineering College and then Kharimati Hotel. You start asking for the village right after the Hotel and within a minute , you will reach the lane on your RH going inside the village.2 minutes into this road and on the right is a motorable but narrow lane going upto a cluster of two temples.The one for Shiva has good amount of terra cotta panels.The road takes a RH turn adjacent to a 'Durga bari' where there is cluster of 3 neat temples with good terra cotta work.

For more details on locations of the towns/villages,you can view :
http://maps.google.co.in/maps?hl=en&q=google%20maps&sourceid=navclient-ff&rlz=1B3GGGL_enIN349IN349&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wl

Largest of the Surul temples.The arches have scenes from Ramayana.

Very well-planed terra cotta work.The central panel has Ram-Ravana war. The ones on LH and RH shows coronation of Ram and Sita in Ayodhya palace and Ravana in his court and Sita in captivity respectively.More details later.

Before closing, I shall add that visit to Shantiniketan, specially the Fair ( 'Pous Mela') was quite disappointing.

NOTE 1 - Several photos in this blog are shot by my wife Ruby, whose album has been of immense help to me.
NOTE 2 - Sri Satyasri Ukil , grandson of Sri Mukul Dey, who among other remarkable deeds, built an extensively researched album on terra cotta temples of Birbhum district, wrote :
'Hello Good to see your recent blog on Illumbazar and Surul. The pic attached depicts a temple which you have visited at Illumbazar...for last sixty years, at least, it has a corrugated roof...! You wrote: "It has lost its roof, now protected by corrugated sheets".

This photograph was taken by Mukul Dey in c. 1948-49. May
use it on your blog if you so feel...'



I am thankful to Sri Ukil and I have inserted the 60 years old photo of the hexagonal temple of Ilambazar in my blog.