Renovation of the age old Brahma Mandir
is nearing completion. A beautiful children's park and an
art gallery are also coming up at the complex. There is a
plan to establish a statue of Maharani Sunity Devi at the
complex. If everything goes well the complex will be opened
for the citizens in February, said the chairman of Cooch Behar
Municipality Mr Biren Kundu. Union minister Mr Priya Ranjan
Dasmunsi is expected to inaugurate the renovated Brahma Mandir,
he said.
Brahma Mandir is situated near the crossing of Keshav Road
and Sunity Road in Cooch Behar town.
The then rulers of princely state of Cooch Behar had established
it in 1886. The building was ruined and on the verge of demolition
due to lack of maintenance. The temple has endured years’
of neglect and decay. Things came to such a pass that the
temple, which was virtually reduced to a god-forsaken place,
came to be ruled by anti-socials. At last, in 2001, the renovation
work started and Cooch Behar Municipality was entrusted to
do the job. As the temple has a rich tradition and very much
a part of Cooch Behar's history the main idea behind the repair
work is to ensure that the basic structure and look is restored.
In 1878, the marriage of Maharaja Nripendra Narayan with Sunity
Devi, the elder daughter of Keshav Chandra Sen sparked off
a controversy. Sen was a leading luminary of the Brahma Samaj.
Following the marriage the Brahma Samaj eventually faced a
vertical split. Navabidhan Brahma Samaj was how the Sen led
faction came to be known as. Finally, as per wish of the Queen,
Brahma became the official religion of Cooch Behar. Congregations
and prayers were being held regularly at the Brahma Mandir,
which was built in 1886 at a cost of Rs 16,000.
Gajendra Narayan, who married Savitri Devi, the sister of
Sunity Devi, was the founder secretary. The others who became
secretaries included Prince Victor Nityendra Narayan, son
of Sunity Devi, Manorathdhan Dey, Kedarnath Mukhopadhyay and
Binit Kumar Mukhopadhyay. There was a beautiful tower, which
was destroyed following an earthquake in 1897. It was not
restored since. Former Cooch Behar MP, Mr Amar Roy Pradhan
had extended the fund for renovation of the temple. Cooch
Behar Municipality is also spending from its own fund to build
up the children’ park and the art gallery.
Already, an English medium school (Nivedita Academy) run by
the civic body started functioning at the complex. Along with
the garden with seasonal flowers two large sized concrete-made
Dinosaurs, a deer and a few rides are there to amuse the children.
Water fountain and a cave are also coming up to add attraction.
A little sum may be collected from the visitors as service
tax to maintain the facilities, the Cooch Behar Municipality
chairman, Mr Kundu said.
Courtesy: The Statesman |
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