Sagardighi and the Hiranyagarbha Shiva Temple of Cooch Behar, the Memory, Architecture and Urban Vision of Maharaja Harendra Narayan Bhupbahadur (Part 4): Maharaja Harendra Narayan — Founder, Legacy and Historical Significance.
Sagardighi of Coochbehar
Episode 4
Mahārājā (King) Harendra Narayan:
The Hiranyagarbha Shiva Temple and Sagardighi were established by Maharaja Harendra Narayan Bhupbahadur, the visionary founder and the 17th ruler of the Koch dynasty, who ruled from 1783 to 1839 CE, a period marked by political transition, administrative reorganization, and infrastructural development.
The king Harendra Narayan ascended to the throne at a very young age after the death of his father. Initially, the administration was managed under supervision of Royal officials, but gradually the king took the entire control of governance in his own hand. Due to the administrative prudence and Developmental Initiatives the king proved to be a quite efficient as well as prudent and competent ruler of his kingdom. Several important developments took place during his reign, such as the excavation of Sagardighi (1807 CE), a popular manmade lake in Coochbehar, and the Construction of Hiranyagarbha shiva temples, a religious establishments, which strengthening the administrative infrastructure and the proper planning for the expansion urban areas etc. These projects reflected a balanced concern for both religious patronage and the public welfare. The digging of Sagardighi is a testament to prudent insight and thoughtful deliberation, which meet the basic needs of the common people by providing them a clean and permanent water source.
Cultural and Intellectual Personality
King (Mahārājā) Harendra Narayan was not only a person with deep political knowledge, beside this he was also a culturally rich personality. According to some historical accounts and some literary sources, he is an eminent scholar in Bengali and Persian language, a poet and patron of various types of literature, a musician and artist, a proficient horse rider and hunter also. It can be said in one word that the king had a considerable contribution for promoting and flourishing the culture of Coochbehar with his intellectual pursuits.
Religious Patronage and Temple Foundation
The establishment of the Hiranyagarbha Shiva temple is the reflection of the profound religious devotion of the king as well as his dedication to the traditional Hindu practices. The inscription engraved at the top of the entrance of the sanctum dated Śakabda 1229 (1822 C.E.) which provides a clear epigraphic evidence that the temple was constructed during the reign of king (Mahārājā) Harendra Narayan Bhupbahadur. Her then term ‘Bhupbahadur’ is the royal epithet.
A remarkable and quite interesting point is to be noticed here is the simultaneous constructions of the temple and the lake, known as Sagardighi. It can be roughly assumed through this type of constructional work that, at that time it was a common practice of the ruler’s to build such beautiful religious places along with the developed urban facilities. It can be said in one word that the temple and the pond together were a joint plan and it is better to see them as a part of a larger project instead of separating them. There were obviously some reasons for Sach type planning , such as, to perform the religious activities as well as daily worship, to provide the proper public service & public welfare, to show the Royal power and prestige, accelerate the cultural and spiritual continuity, provision of drinking water for the common people, creation of sacred religious place etc. An efficient outlook towards these issues reflects that the king of Coochbehar was endowed with profound knowledge and sophisticated ideas along with the rich cultural outlook.
At present the temple is controlled by debottar trust board, the common people and devotees come here for their regular worship and to show tribute to Lord Shiva. Today the temple and the lake together is a famous tourist spot and this lake can be roughly called a part of the beautification of the city and plays an important role both culturally and aesthetically. Though at present, like other historical monuments, they are also facing various challenges such as rapid urban expansion, environmental impact, lack of proper renovation for maintenance etc.
Conclusion
Finally it can be concluded that the Sagardighi and Hiranyagarbha Shiva temple is the result of the advanced and efficient thinking of king (Mahārājā) Harendra Narayan Bhupbahadur, as a result of that the temple stands proudly in its own glory and majesty with the beautiful lake as a symbol of cultural and aesthetic attitude as well as the religious and administrative approach. It is quite easy to understand from all these evidences that the urban planning in pre-modern India was not only restricted into the political or military aspect, rather it also included a number of other important aspects like the well organised water conservation system, pursuit of a refined cultural ethos, religious infrastructure, a progressive and welfare oriented perspective etc. this temple and the water body together are the part of a living history which connects the past with the present, so it can be said that preserving these type of heritage is not only important to unveiling the glorious history of the past but also a good source for conducting the archaeological research, beside this, the elements are also plays an important role in preserving the culture and tradition of Coochbehar as well us help us to know about our exuberant past.
References :
Ahamad, Khan Chaudhary Amanatulla. 1990 [rep.]. Kochbiharer Itihas , (in Bengali). Kochbihar: Kochbihar State Press.
Das, Biswanath, editor. Cooch Beharer Samaj o Samskriti. Edited by Biswanath Das, Anima Prakashani, Dec. 2014. ISBN: 978-93-83123-15-5.
Mukhopadhyay, Shyamachand, compiler and author. Kochbehar Jelar Purakirti. Edited by Amiya Kumar Bandyopadhyay and Sudhir Ranjan Das,Puratattva O Sangrahalay Adhikar, PWD (Archaeology), Information and Cultural Affairs Department, Government of West Bengal, 1st ed., Oct. 1974; 2nd ed., Jan. 2015. Printed by Saraswati Press Ltd.
My Personal Fieldwork..
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**This article is part of a four-part research series on Sagardighi and the Hiranyagarbha Shiva Temple of Cooch Behar.**
* This is final and concluding episode *
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