Antpur is a small town of terracotta temples of medieval era, built with the terracotta structure allures the history lovers who are interested in having a research on Bengal history.
Location of Antpur
Antpur is located in Jangipara community development bloc of the Shreerampore subdivision in the Hooghly District in the Indian state of West Bengal.
Geography of Antpur
Antpur is around 20 km from Tarakeswar, the temple town and railhead for the Sheoraphuli–Tarakeswar section. In Tarakeshwar, there is a Shiva temple that attracts for thousands for its mythological importance.
Population of Antpur
Antpur had a population of 2,548 out of which 944 belonged to scheduled castes and 17 belonged to scheduled tribes.
Economy of Antpur
The rural economy of Antpur has developed due to the presence of the famous temples listed above. There is a constant stream of middle-class devotees who visit Antpur. The villagers are accustomed to vehicular traffic and other exposure to the life-styles of well-off Indians and foreigners.
Tourism of Antpur
Antpur has no tourist options apart from leisure tourism, but one can see the terracotta temples. The most famous temple in Antpur is that of Radha Govinda Jiu with exquisite terracotta carvings depicting stories from all the 18 puranas. This 100 feet high temple was constructed by Krishna Ram Mitra, the Diwan of Bardhaman Raj in 1786 (1708 Shakabda). Chandi Mandap and Dol Mancha have beautifully crafted wood carvings.
The period when Radha Govinda Jiu Antpur Temple was built was curious. Muslim rule was ebbing out and the Europeans were making forays into the country. It is said that Krishna Ram Mitra built the temple to enthuse the Hindus. The terracotta work which was earlier an exclusive preserve of Bishnupur artisans was no more so. While Radha and Krishna are predominant in the carvings, there also is the goddess Durga, whose worship had been revived in a big way by Nabakrishna Deb of Shovabazar Rajbari in 1757. Besides the main temple of Radha Govind Jiu are the temples of Gangadhara, Fuleswara, Rameswara, Jaleswara and Baneswara. Antpur was the village home of Baburam Ghosh In modern India, Swami Vivekananda and eight other disciples of Sri Ramakrishna took their vow of "sannyasa" on 24th December 1886. The Ramakrishna-Premananda Ashram of Antpur has built a temple on the birthplace of Swami Pramananda. All these now add as tourist destinations.
Visiting Information
Antpur can be reached by road either directly from Kolkata or from Tarakeswar or Haripal. From Kolkata via Ahilyabai road up to Gazarmore Bus Stop and then from Gazarmore left turn, towards Antpure approx 6 km or from Howrah District, Tarekeswar / Arambag local to Haripal. It can also be reached by train that passes via Tarakeshwar.
