Bangsabati/Banshberia/Banshbere, no matter what we call it,is unique for one thing. The ruler of the area,one of the most important Rajamahashay in Bengal amongst many rajahs and maharajahs,lost most of his territories to the colonial aggression of adjoining states of Nadia and Burdwan even before he was born.Yet,instead of spending time and money to regain the land, he built a temple.
Yes, I am talking about Rajamahasay Nrisinghadev.His father, Rajamahasay Govindadev passed away in 1740 before he was born. The news that he died without leaving an heir spread like fire and with the sanction of the Nawab of Bengal,lands that belonged to him were annexed by the rulers of Nadia and Burdwan.Rajamahasay Nrisinghadev was born three months after his father's death but by that time it was too late to salvage anything.
He was born in the time intense turmoil- on one hand,political power was shifting from the Mughals to the British and on the other hand the brutal "Bargi" raids were beginning,something that still now is a part of the Bangla lullaby-"khoka ghumolo,para jurolo,bargi elo deshe". Then came the "mannwantar" that literally wiped half of the population. Rajamahashay had to wait for an appropriate time to start fighting his battle of regaining his lands by petitioning the new rulers-the British. But instead of wasting his time in lazy pursuits, he mastered Sanskrit,Persian,Arabic and even English.Thus,Lord Hastings,following the foot-steps of Lord Clive before him,commissioned Rajamahashay to prepare a map of Bengal.
Lord Cornwallis, who succeeded Hastings, introduced the Permanent Settlement Act and suggested that the Rajamahashay petitions in the Court of Directors in England to regain his land.The raja left for Kashi,amassed enough money to go to England.But his mindset had changed by that time.He had learnt Tantra,had started living life of an ascetic.He came back to Banshberia and started the construction of the Kali temple, named after his mother-the widow of Rajamahashay Govindadev- Rani Hangsheswari.
Unfortunately, he could not complete the construction as he passed away in 1802.Both his queens,as was the norm of the day,were supposed to accompany him to the funeral pyre as "Sati" but the younger queen Rani Shankari refused to end her life without completing her husband's dream.The temple was completed in 1814, at a cost of Rupees 5 lakhs.
The unique thing about the temple is that it clearly shows the Rajamahashay's leanings towards the tantric philosophy.The nine lotus towers are manifestations of "nadi"- Ira, Pingala, Susumna and so on.
The idol inside is made of neem wood and is blue in colour. I preferred not taking a photo.
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