l
Photos by Debashree Bhaduri and Somenath Rudra
Madan Mohan Temple
Set in the heart of the beautiful town of Cooch Behar, the only planned town in the North Bengal region with the remnants of historical past , Madan Mohan Bari temple , situated on the northern bank of Bairagi dighi, boasts of the rich culture and heritage that adorns this beautiful place.
Built by Maharaja Nripendra Narayan during 1885-1889, this more than a century old ancient gold domed temple is one of the main attractions of Cooch Behar. Known for being the maternal home of Maharani Gayatri Devi, Cooch Behar sits in the foothills of Eastern Himalayas and is a land of mixed cultures. This beautiful monument was officially inaugurated on 4th May, 1890 by Maharaja Nripendra Narayan in this heritage town. Starting from then, the main attraction of the Madan Mohan temple has been the celebration of the legendary “Raas Mela”( a popular festival in Cooch Behar in October/November along with Raas Purnima when a big fair is organised adjacent to the famous Madan Mohan Temple in the town. Cooch Behar Raas Mela is the oldest in the North Bengal region). Till 1916, this event used to take place near the temple surrounding Bairagi Dighi. But due to an increase in the number of the tourists visiting the fair, it was shifted to the present “Raas Mela Maidan” in the year 1917.
Madan Mohan Bari is the abode of various deities, which include Lord Madan Mohan, Maa Kali, Maa Tara and Maa Bhavani. The practice of performing the traditional “aarti” (a hindu ritual of worship when the lamps are lit for the deities) is carried out in this temple every evening even today. This temple is considered as one of the holiest places for the devotees of Madan Mohan and on all important occasions, local people and toutists from all places gather in this temple to seek the blessings of the Lord. Till today, the tradional “bali” (animal sacrifice in the name of God) is carried out in the temple campus on the occasion of Durga Puja (on Maha Ashtami day).
Another festival that takes place in this temple in celebration of Rath Yatra of Lord Madan Mohan in Cooch Behar, which is quite similar to the Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath at Puri. In beautifully decorated Raths(big chariots), Lord Madan Mohan travels from the main temple to his maternal aunt’s house at Gunjabari to stay there for 1 week. Again on the event of Ulta-Rath Yatra (after 7 days), the holy idol is brought back to the main Madam Mohan temple. All through this 7 days of his visit, a great fair takes place at the main temple campus and at Gunjabari.
Inspite of the golden history of this monument, there are still some dark facts that haunt the ages of its past. On 28th February, 1994, the idol of Lord Madan Mohan was stolen from the temple. Even after a lot of investigations the idol could not be recovered, then in the very next year, an idol identical to the previous one - made of 8 metallic compounds was enthroned with a golden umbrella on the top.