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Madan Gopal Temple of Mellak – A Must Visit
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Madan Gopal Temple of Mellak – A Must Visit

Kinjal Bose

 The Madan Gopal Temple situated in Mellak wears the mantle of being the oldest temple in the Howrah district. Along with the Dadimadhav Temple which is situated in Amragiri, the Madan Gopal Temple happens to be one of the two state protected monuments under Directorate of Archaeology and Museums, Information and Cultural Affairs Department of Government of West Bengal.

This brick-built south-facing aatchala (eight roofed) temple was built way back in 1651 A.D by Zamindar Mukunda Prasad Roychowdhury. The temple is situated on the banks of Rupnarayan River, although presently the river has receded. The Madan Gopal Temple enjoys the distinction of being one of the largest aatchala temples of West Bengal.

The Madan Gopal Temple is constructed on a higher pedestal at a height of about five feet. This was a normal practice during those times in order to protect the temple in times of high tides and floods. The temple has a triple arched entrance with terracotta work on the panels and the sides.

It appears that in the past, the Madan Gopal Temple had rich terracotta work on the exterior however, with the ravages of time, those have got damaged. At present, one can witness some terracotta motifs on the panels above the arches. There are some floral motifs including that of lotus which can be seen right now. The two wall panels have a total of six large lotus medallions on a wall. The entrance frames as well as the cornices has lotus medallions, floral motifs and geometric figures. Overall the temple is well maintained. The temple sanctum houses the idol of Madan Gopalji.  Dolyatra and Janmastami are the main festivals celebrated here.

The temple is situated on a large open grassy area with trees on both sides. A blue signboard on the right side of the temple declared it as a protected monument. The most striking thing of this temple which will normally draw everyone’s attention is of a stone idol of Garura facing the temple in the middle of the raised platform. The approach road to the temple is rather narrow and not in good shape. There is also an embankment a little away from the temple and it was said that it has been done to facilitate farming in the area as at one point of time it was connected with the Rupnarayan River.