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Bansberia

This town located about 50 km north of Kolkata in the Hooghly district was once part of a large urban settlement called Satgaon, an important port town in medieval Bengal. Its importance in pre-Muslim Bengal was religious, owing to its location at the Tribeni or confluence of three rivers (Ganga, Jamuna, and Saraswati). After Muslim occupation in the late 13th century (by a Ghazi or warrior-saint named Zafar Khan) it continued to be an important city under the Tughlaks, as a military base, mint-town and port. After the Mughal conquest of Bengal in the mid-16th century, the city started to decline due to the loss of royal patronage, but some areas such as Bansberia continued to prosper upto the 19th century, sponsored by semi-independent zamindars who built several temples in the area.



Ananta Vasudeva Temple

Octagonal Turret

Left Arch

Central Arch

Right Arch

Base and Wall Panels

Base and Wall Panels

Base Frieze

Base Frieze

Base Frieze

Sanctum Walls

South Side

South Entrance

Central Arch

Right Arch

Wall Panels

Corner Elements

Cornice

North Side

Hansheshwari Temple


Photos and Text © Amit Guha Feedback