26th November 1980
am Mecheda to Tamluk (which is @ 1/2 hour by bus from M). The actual town has a museum, district sub-divisional court, mostly Vaishnava temples and several large tanks, scattered in close proximity to each other. These tanks I'm told have no particular religious (bathing) significance.
There is also a rajbari which was never completed, built in red brick with this round style ornamental archways on the side of the building. There is no thakur dalan but behind there are 2 Radha-Krishna temples side by side with a Garuda (stone) figure in the left one to the left of the 2 figs (it is small and faces to the right rather than at the 2 figs). Temples there were rather medium sized, decorative plaques on some of the sides of the 2 temples but no style that I could clearly distinguish. Behind the rajbari was a neo-classical British style collonaded building where apparently the relatives of the raja like-they are called Roy. In front of this and to the right of the 2 temples is a Nat Ghor for performance of Jatra. To the extreme right of the palace a tank which apparently connected with the Rupnarayan river (which in turn connects with the sea near Haldia I'm told).
The Nat Ghor is constructed of firm metal inner posts and wooden outer posts and beams. Tiled roof. At the side on which the structure goes out from the rajbari there are some curved archways. I was told that the last king was Tamradhaj. As you go further into the town you come across a group of 3 temples on the left hand side of the road-all Vaishnava. One faces towards the road and is Radha-Krishna. another is a Jagannath with @ 3' high wooden figs of Jagannath and 2 companions on a high altar. The temple has, as usual, wooden doors and is a little unlike the other ones in Tamluk. I think its atchala with a small Nat Ghor in front. The facade is decorated but the other 3 sides are completely plain. It is a large temple. The priest lives 3 miles out of town.
The adjacent temple is a few yards away and is a Krishna-Arjun temple. The 2 figs are relief slabs with Sena like backdrop-they're of stone but difficult to distinguish as they are all but covered with cloth robes. In front of the temple a Nat Ghor and before that an archway. An example of leading up to the image through architectural space. There were some terracotta plaques spaced intermittently on the side of the temple proper.
Further on down the road-see book. Terracotta plaques on the outside of the temple at regular intervals. Ganga Krishna slaying and Shiv/Parvati, Hanuman, Brahma etc. The temple is on a raised mound which Dipak Guha tells me was probably a Buddhist stupa at one time. This temple also a kind of Nat Ghor-similar 3 step temple. Inside-stone (black) with face turned to the right slightly, a silver tongue, elaborate metal (?) headdress and bracelets-she has 4 hands. She is on an altar of wood that is coloured anyway. There is a sacrifical post at the entrance of the temple complex.
Mahaprobhu temple near Museum. There is a compound in which is a Rash thing inside temple complex meaning courtyard. Flat-roofed temple. Inside-wooden fig of Mahaprobhu. Wooden figs always called daru. Wood (nim kath-not susceptible to woodworm, has medicinal qualities, is bitter), clay (thin layer), cloth, clay (thin layer) chalk, yellow paint, eyes, face, clothing (there being 5 different costumes one of which is rajas with costly ornamentation and the other everyday one.
Fig on the right-stone Jaganath. Temple 400 years old I was told. On Friday 28th November I explored the temple further. during Chaitra month thousands come for festival from Cal and elsewhere and they all sit in the corridors and are fed. At the side is one of the kitchens.
Outside the temple is an old tree (sacred). To the South is the rash thing and some Samadhi shrines i.e. graves, white and in shape of Tulsi shrine with entrance. Nat Ghor tiled and constructed with wooden roof. The image is @ 2', coloured yellow with whites of eyes. It was painted by a 'patidhar' i.e. patua. Its gestures are unusual and has a story behind it. The legs are slightly bent (but not in a dancing pose-I asked) and stands on a lotus which is visible and painted. The facial expression is very similar to those figs in Chakfera Goswami Bati. However, whereas those images were clay, this is of wood. This image is the central one of the 3. As far as I could see there were no flowers on it, just clothes.
30th November 1980 - Krishnanagar