Report of a Tour through the Bengal Provinces/Lábhpur, Jamua Kandi and Nagor
LÁBHPUR.
A few miles to the north-east of the Railway Station of Mallárpur is a small village named Lábhpur, or Phullára. Old temples are said to exist here, and it is said to have been the ancient seat of the Malla Rájás, after whom the districts Mallárpur and the various parganas known as the Malleswar parganas are named. I did not visit the places.
JAMUA KANDI.
Jamua Kandi also is said to have ancient remains; these, however, are said to be chiefly Muhammadan. I did not see the place.
NAGOR.
To the west of Seuri is the great fort, if fort it can be called, of Nagor. The whole pargana is enclosed by a low earthen rampart overgrown with dense scrub and bambu jangal; the ramparts, have a shallow ditch in front, about 20 feet wide now in places, but which once must have been both wider and deeper. The line of ramparts is very irregular both in plan and in profile. As a general rule, however, the height is about 15 feet above the ditch, and the width at base about 80; the top has been naturally rounded by the weather.
The space within the inclosure comprises the entire pargana of Haripur; it is a low, unhealthy, flat piece of land, resembling more some parts of Lower Bengal than the adjacent districts; there is a tirtha here near the village of Tántipâra known as the Tirtha of Bakeswar. The objects of interest are a number of temples grouped near a number of dirty tanks. There is but one large temple, and this is of the style of the Baijnâth ones; it had a line of inscription over the doorway in modern characters, but the characters are now too worn to be at all legible. Close to the temple is a pakka kund, ablution in which cleanses from sin. However this may be, I am quite certain that ablution in it must be particularly disagreeable, the stench its waters exhale being strongly perceptible 50 yards off, and in color and consistence it more resembles the contents of sewers than any other semi-fluid substance I can think of. Pilgrims after bathing in the larger tanks, which themselves are not particularly sweet, are, as a final measure, to bathe in this; there are hot springs in the kund, and the water is warm; there are also cold springs in the kund close to the hot, which is seen bubbling up; the hot springs are sulphurous, and give off freely sulphuretted hydrogen.
The other temples are all very small and very numerous; they are avowedly modern.
Outside, to the left of the long line of temples which line the road, leading straight to the principal shrine, are numerous hot springs; the waters have a sulphurous smell, and evidently contain sulphuretted hydrogen; they enjoy some reputation in curing diseases, and I have no doubt they deserve it; they all empty into a small rivulet, which runs past them, and discharges itself in a small stream about 200 yards from the group of temples.
The temples are built of a variety of materials, brick and stone, both cut and rough; the cut stone is roughly dressed, not smoothed; there are traces of an old brick inclosure about the principal temple, which is situated on a high mound.
There are numerous fragments of statues of no special interest. Lingams innumerable are to be seen at every step. The long lane or road leading from the tank to the temple is lined by semi-nude jogis, and the tanks are crowded by pilgrims, male and female, in gay dresses, busy washing away old sins and clearing the way for fresh ones. The morality, both of jogis and of pilgrims here, is not of a very strict type; this is, indeed, the chronic state of things at most other tiraths that I have seen, but here there is less of even outward appearances preserved than elsewhere generally.
The place is fabled to have been the residence of Bakra Muni, and the lingam in the principal temple having been established by him, is known as Bakeswar.
I obtained a list of tirthas here, which I append; it is of interest, as giving the names of numerous well-known as well as of some obscure tirthas.When Parvati in her anger destroyed herself at Daksha’s sacrifice and flung her members abroad, they fell at various places, each of which has become a tirtha in consequence; there are 48 of these I was told—
- Hingulâz—the occiput.
- Sarkara—the eye (netra).
- Sugandhya—the nose.
- Kashmir—the throat.
- Jwâlamukhi—the tongue.
- Janukur—the "sthul."
- Manasarovar—the right hand.
- Bahula—the left hand.
- Chattagrama (Chittagong)—the right arm.
- Ujain.
- Kandaki—the back of the neck.
- Vrindavana—the hair.
- Jayanta—the left thigh.
- Prayága—the fingers.
- Mithila—the left shoulder.
- Kânchipur—the bones.
- Ratnavaii—the right shoulder.
- Kángaon—the back.
- Godâvari—the cheek.
- Kirit Kona.
- Sri Saila hill—the neck.
- Prabhâsa—the lips.
- Chandrabhâga—the canine tooth.
- Panchaságar—the incisors.
- Kálamadhava—the right waist.
- Narmmada—the left waist.
- Sri Parvat, near the Karatoya river, received the left chin.
- Kurukhetra.
- Benares—the earrings.
- Manikarnika (in Benares)—the breast jewel (brooch).
- Baijnâth—the heart.
- Nepâla (Pasupatinatha)—the palate.
- Tripura—the right hand.
- Khirgaon—the left breast.
- Bhairava Hill
- Jagannath—the navel.
- Mâyâpura.
- Mahendra
- Gokarna
- Chatramáyá.
- Bhasrnajál
- Râmagiri (Râmtek).
- Bakini.
- Mâlaya.
- Kâmakhya—the generative organs.
- Kâlighât (in Calcutta)—the toes fell here.
I give the list as I got it, without comment or remark.