Dharapat

Dharapat
—  village  —
Dharapat Location of Dharapat in West Bengal and India
Coordinates	23°04′21″N 87°17′57″E / 23.0723882°N 87.2992516°E / 23.0723882; 87.2992516Coordinates: 23°04′21″N 87°17′57″E / 23.0723882°N 87.2992516°E / 23.0723882; 87.2992516
Country	India
State	West Bengal
District(s)	Bankura
Parliamentary constituency	Bishnupur
Assembly constituency	Bishnupur
Time zone	IST (UTC+05:30)
Website	bankura.gov.in/

Dharapat (Bengali: ধারাপাট) is a village in Bishnupur subdivision of Bankura district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) north of Bishnupur.

Geography

Dharapat is located at 23°04′21″N 87°17′57″E / 23.0723882°N 87.2992516°E / 23.0723882; 87.2992516

Culture

Bankura district was once under the influence of Jainism and a number of Jain relics lie scattered in the district. Jain relics at villages Sonatapal, Bahulara, Dharapat, Harmasra and Paresnath (near Ambiknagar) are now taken as Hindu relics and some of the intact images are daily worshipped as Hindu deities. The temples at Dharapat and Bahulara villages have naked Jain images, which are known as "Nangta Thakur" or the naked deities. These deities are there along with Hindu deities.^[1]

According to a Bengali inscription in the main temple at Dharapat, it was built in 1694 or 1704. The idol is thought to be of Shyama Chand Thakur, commonly known as Nangta Thakur. The temple was built by Advesh, Raja of Dharapat. Barren women of the locality worship at the temple with the hope of bearing a child.^[2] The temple came up in place of a plastered laterite structure that had collapsed. The new temple has four small statues of flying lions on its four sides. There are three excellent stone idols in the temple — two Jain deities and Vishnu. All three are on the outer walls. There are a number of abandoned temples in the village. There are some stone relics in Dharapat. One of them, and a very interesting one, is a statue of Parasnath that has been converted into a Vishnu idol by carefully adding two hands. It obviously signifies the overpowering Hindu influence after the decline of Jainism in the area.^[3]

References

1. ^ "Temples and Legends of Bengal". Bankura. Hindu Books. http://www.hindubooks.org/dynamic/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=144&page=9. Retrieved 2009-07-12. 
2. ^ O’Malley, L.S.S., ICS, Bankura, Bengal District Gazetteers, p. 195, 1995 reprint, first published 1908, Government of West Bengal
3. ^ "Next weekend you can be at ... Dharapat". The Telegraph, 12 October 2008. http://www.telegraphindia.com/1081012/jsp/calcutta/story_9953884.jsp. Retrieved 2009-07-12.