“Art of Terracotta Gopal Mondir at Mellock in West Bengal”

Abstract

Gopal is the Supreme Person to the people. Gopal is the infant/child form of Lord Krishna. India is the nation with many spiritual mythologies. Respectively every idol plays a significant role in all of them. Madanmohan-jiu Temple is situated in Mellock, near Samta in the Indian state of West Bengal and is locally famous as Gopaler Mondir which literally means the temple of Gopala.

The temple is a great, attractive, terracotta decorated, dilapidated temple of Radha & Madangopal-jiu and was constructed in 1651 AD by a wrestler, Mukundaprasad Roychoudhury, who was a family member of the Roy Zamindars, who then governed the village of Samta. It was previously situated on the banks of the Rupnarayan River but nowadays the river has altered its path. This is one of the biggest atchala (roof with 8 slopes) temple in Bengal. Presently, the condition of the temple is derelict, however, the renovation has been in progress at present-day.