The Ghoshal family of Bakshara village in the district of Howrah, now settled in Khidirpur, originally flourished in the trade of salt from the pre colonial times of Bengal. Yet they indulged in erudition which led to a prolific coming together of intellect and ambition resulting in a ‘standing testimony’ of faith and heritage which still attracts people and pilgrims alike in numbers.
The name of the place where stands two of Asia’s arguably biggest Shiv Lingams or the phallic symbol of Lord Shiv, the male representation of the genesis of life and the endless universe, is aptly and eponymously called ‘Bhukailash’, which means the Mount of Kailash, which is the Himalayan home of Lord Shiv and his consort Parvati, on earth.
The twin Lingams as established by Maharaja Joynarayan Ghoshal in the year 1785 following a divine dream he had when the Lord appeared to him in his sleep and wished that He would to be established, are housed in two beautiful gigantic temples. These temples belong to the archaic ‘Atchala’ or the eight roofed temple architecture of Bengal and are titled ‘Raktakamaleshwar’ or the Lord of Red Lotus and ‘Krishnachandreshwar’ meaning the Divinity of Lord Krishna. The dual shrines stand tall facing each other flanked by a colossal water body which mythically produced valuables like gold coins as gift of God and is now used for religious rituals of the temple.
The Lingams are made of black stone called ‘Koshti Pathor’ availed and sculpted from Rajasthan. So wide is the circumference of the Godly statues in size that one person cannot encircle it alone. At least two people with outstretched arms are needed to complete a circle. The unsolved mystery of the Lingams is that they have been consistently increasing in size by a few millimeters since their 18th century consecration. Near to the temple compound is also a field owned by the family which hosts a popular 126 year old fair for 15 days on the occasion of Shiv Ratri.
The fair which sees stalls selling snacks, savories, home utilities and Bengal’s traditional handicrafts alike among other goods sees an enviable footfall every year, taking the carnival of human interaction beyond religious heights. The entire estate is actually a celestial conglomeration of a number of gods from the Hindu pantheon, who are Goddess Durga known as Maa Patitpabani or the saviour of the downtrodden, Goddess Shitala who saves the mortals from deadly diseases, Lord Vishnu known as Rajrajjeshwar meaning the king of kings, Goddess Ganga, the heavenly incarnation of India’s pious river, Lord Panchanan or the five headed form of Lord Shiv and Kalbhairavor the fierce avatar of Shiv again.
A number of rituals are performed with all the Gods given baths in the morning and a platter of food or Prasad in the afternoon. In the evening they receive a fire salutation before the retiring ceremony for night. Shivratri means special rituals throughout the day divided into the four famous quarters called ‘Prohors’ in which the Lord is treated to his essential pampering with Dudh or Milk, Ghee or Clarified Butter, holy water of the Ganges, Madhu or Honey, Tulsi or Basil leaves, Rudraksh or the holy tears of the Lord, Akando or the Lord’s favorite purple flower, Bel or Wood Apple leaves, Jastimadhu or Licorice along with many other offerings.
The family celebrates all the traditional festivals of Lord Shiv including Bengal’s end of- the- year Chaitra festivities of ‘Charak’, ‘Gajon’ followed by the difficult practices of thorn and fire by the hermits, ‘Neel Shasthi’ and Monsoon month celebration of ‘Shravan’. The water body is secretly connected underground with the Ganges from where the holy water is sourced for worshipping. The Lingams are based on a non-assembled basic single platform as procured from the west.
Length wise the Lingams are 17 and 12.5 feet respectively. Interestingly the famous Kali worshipping sage of Bengal ‘Sadhok Ramprasad’ is said to have visited the shrines and performed prayers here. The Ghoshal family has been succeeded by Kalishankar Ghoshal, son of Joynarayan who maintained the temples to glory and later by the historically famous Satyasaran Ghoshal, Kalishankar’s nephew, who finds a mention in noted novelist Sunil Gangopadhaya’s historical saga ‘Sei Somoy’.
Ghoshal, who is the tenth generation descendent of the aforementioned stalwarts of the family and one of the 27 trustees of the family’s temple property estate, shares with The Statesman some essential information as far as the modern day maintenance of this historical establishment is concerned. He says “Calcutta Corporation along with the concerned administrative authorities cooperate with us along with a few local clubs in order for us to maintain it properly.
The neighborhood also provides it with the basic amenities. Our age old temple worshiping culture and the 15 day fair is a major event in the locality.” Khidirpur, the western suburb of Kolkata, which was the oasis of life for the banished ruler of Awadh,Wajid Ali Shah, after the controversial annexation of his kingdom to that of East India Company’s in 1856 has been home to India’s secular philosophy of peaceful co-existence. It houses the Nawab’s memorial Imambara and Bhukailash Shiv estate in perfect proximity.