Santipur MLA demands spl steps for protection of ancient temple village’s religious heritage

Aug 16, 2018

Santipur(West Bengal) Local ML Arindam Bhattacharya has demanded special status for Santipur as a place of ancient religious heritage and is in talks with international organisations for its conservation and protection.

”This peaceful village in the delta of Ganges which is home to
so many ancient temple of different cults , including the unique Jaleswar temple of Lord Shivahas, has all qualifications to claim special heritage protection, Bhattacharya said here during a visit to Jaleswar temple this
week.

Religious history is Santipur’s heritage. It is our wish and demand that not only India but the entire world should know about our rich religious heritage. With the help of regular contact with the United Nations and it’s various organisations, I had an exclusive discussion with some international agencies regarding the preservation of the ancient temples of Santipur, he said.

Santipur, has been ‘home’ to persons like Ancient poet Krittibas (who translated Ramayana in Bengali) and Adwaitacharya (the spiritual mentor of Shri Chaitanya Mohaprabhu) for many years.

Besides being a holy place of pilgrimage for Vaishnavs, the two cults of Shakti and Shiva also thrived from this village.

Jaleswar Temple is one of the authentic specimens of traditional temple architecture of Bengal and it also stands out as a treasure of exquisite terracotta motifs.

The height of the visible Shiva linga, made of black basalt, is 0.92 metre but if the underneath structure of the Linga is taken into account, Jaleswar Shiva Linga is the tallest one on earth.