Brindaban Chandra's Math

Getting there

• By train

  Guptipara railway station is on the Howrah-Katwa line, and local trains from Howrah, Katwa and Bandel stop there.

• By road

  From Kolkata, take State Highway 6 to Guptipara via Jirat. Buses run from Chinsurah, Kalna, Burdwan and Tarakeswar.

On the way

• Ferry service to Guptipara runs from Shantipur and Tarapur.
• Autorickshaws run from Jirat and from Kalna.

Rules to know

• Remove your footwear at the temples.

Why devotees come here

Brindaban Chandra's Math is a complex of 17th and 18th century temples in Guptipara, Hooghly district, West Bengal. Four temples stand inside a high wall, and the Archaeological Survey of India lists the complex as a monument.

Brindaban Chandra's Math is a complex of temples built in the 17th and 18th centuries at Guptipara in Hooghly district. Four temples stand in a quadrangle inside a high wall. They are dedicated to Chaitanya and Nityananda, to Brindabanchandra (Radha-Krishna and Jagannath), to Ramchandra (Rama, Sita, Lakshmana and Hanuman), and to Krishnachandra (Radha-Krishna).

According to the architectural historian David McCutchion, the Chaitanya temple is the earliest Bangla-style temple still standing, and it was built during the reign of Akbar. The temple, with wooden idols of Chaitanya and Nityananda, is said to be the oldest in the complex. The Brindabanchandra temple, which gives the complex its name, was built in 1801. It stands 60 feet high under an at-chala, eight-sloped roof.

The Ramchandra temple was built in the 17th century and has a single ek-ratna spire. Its walls carry many terracotta panels with scenes from the epics and Puranas, and art historians seek it out most. Guptipara's Ratha Yatra is said to be one of the oldest chariot festivals in India.

Festivals

• Ask at the temple for the dateRatha Yatra

  The chariot starts from the Brindaban Chandra temple complex and goes to the Gopal Temple at Borobazar. About one million people gather for it.

• Eve of Ulto RathBhandar Loot

  The bhog is looted rather than distributed, a ritual unique to Guptipara.

Tips for your visit

• Look closely at the Ramchandra temple's terracotta panels, which show scenes from the epics and Puranas.
• Wear shoes that are easy to take off, since you remove them often at the temples.
• If you can, plan the visit around Ratha Yatra, which draws Vaishnavas from the north-eastern states.

Questions people ask