| Temples & Legends of Bengal |
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| Temples & Legends Of India |
THE TEMPLES IN MIDNAPORE |
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| It is not
correct that Dharmathakur has no anthropomorphic form and that he is not worshipped in any
image as asserted elsewhere.9 As Shri Binoy Ghosh has pointed out there are more than one thousand Dharmathakur images in tortoise's shape in the villages of Ghatal, Bishnupur and Arambagh subdivisions and in Howrah district and Calcutta and its neighborhood.10 Like Chandrakona we also find a large number of Dharmathakur images in different villages of ghatal subdivision of Midnapore district as well. Dharmapuja has been associated with tantric Buddhism but "there is a tendency in Midnapore to equate Dharma to Siva by making him husband of a Shakti."11 This fusion has been principally brought about through the media of the Brahmin priests. The Gajans (religious meals) of Dharmathakur and Lord Siva are very similar. Just as Lord Siva has his Shakti, Dharmathakur has his Shakti and they are Kaliburi, Raibaghini, Kalkali, etc., who have been given the colloquial name of Kaminya. The Dharma Kaminyas have a special appeal to the Santals and the other semi-tribals of the district. 9. The Tribes and Castes of West Bengal; Census
1951. Edited by A. Mitra--"Dharma worship in West Bengal" by Ashutosh
Battacharji. |
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| About Midnapore | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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