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KALNA-108 POWERS UNIFIED

Bengal has definitely got a rich treasure house of history and some exquisite examples of architectural heritage. Glorifying the third power of Trimurti, or Shiva, this amazing terracota figurine signifying the unification of 108 powers of Rudraksha, is worthy enough to be mentioned.

Kalna or Ambika Kalna is a town in the Purba Bardhaman district of West Bengal, India. The city is more popularly known as Ambika Kalna, named after the goddess Kali, Maa Ambika. According to General Alexander Cunningham, the founder of the Archeological survey of India, Ambika Kalna was a frontier city of the Tamralipta kingdom during the 7th century A.D. The city reached its apex during the late 18th century under the patronage of the Maharajas of Bardhaman, who built several temples with intricate terracota ornamentation.
The most riveting shrine complex in Kalna is the Nava Kailash or the 108 Shiva temples, indicating the 108 beads of Rudraksh. Built in 1809, to celebrate the transfer and ownership of the royal estate of Bishnupur, Maharaja Tejachandra had supervised the construction of the temple complex, which is slightly influenced by the architecture of Krishna Balaram Temple of Vrindavan. The walls of the temple have splendid terracotta work, depicting episodes from the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and some hunting and erotica scenes.
Built-in 1809, the temples were constructed in two circles. One consists of 74 temples, whilst the other has 34, decided mythologically with auspicious considerations. The former has white marble and black stone shiva lingas, whilst the latter comprises white marble shivling. Due to its ingenious planning, all of the shiva lingas can be seen from the center of the temple complex. The Lingas in the inner circle are all white (symbolising good deeds), while half of those in the outer circle are black (symbolising sins).
The land of art and literature, is indeed a glorified evidence towards the beauty of terracotta skills...the intricate details and designs speaks of its amazing craftsmanship, and keeping the ancient rich culture intact to its roots as well. But unfortunately, their glory still remained an Unheard Secret.

#shiva #mahashivratri #shivratri #rudraksh #trimurti #ambikakalna #navakailash #108temples #cityoftemples #bishnupur #terracota #terracotatemples #bengal #ancientbengal #temples #myths #stories #mystictales #mysteries #unheardsecrets
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