Across large museums, Heritage Week is being celebrated with exhibitions, discussion sessions, and special publications. There are many announcements and a lot of attention around heritage. In this atmosphere, let us turn our gaze toward a very ancient heritage of the open-air museum that is the Sundarbans—a heritage now standing at the edge of certain extinction.

According to legend, the raft of Behula drifted along the ancient course of the Adi Ganga and finally reached the ghats of Netidhopani Temple.

In 1993, we set out for that island from Kaikhali Island. After crossing the Matla River, keeping the Kankalmari River to our right, and passing beside the southern island of Benufeli Island, we crossed the vast Bidya River and finally reached the destined canal. Our boat docked at Netidhopani Island.

It was a breathtaking yet fearsome island filled with wild predators. At that time, much of the temple still stood beside the Netidhopani canal on top of a high mound—a rekha-deul style temple with a chariot-like (ratha) tower. Parts of the base, wall, and tower sections were still intact. The temple structure had a pancharatha (five-projected) arrangement at the base, and the entrance doorway formed by a corbelled arch had the typical yoni-shaped design.

The sanctum (garbhagriha) was square in plan, measuring roughly 8.6 × 8.6 square meters. From the mound and stretching far across the surroundings were massive piles of fallen bricks from the collapsed architecture. The bricks were of several standard sizes, very similar to those used in Jatar Deul. One such brick measured 27 × 18 × 6 cm.

During British rule, this island was marked as Lot No. 156 and 157, and local zamindars were given lease rights to clear the forest and establish settlements. During that time, valuable items from this half-ruined temple were looted. Local oral history says that a few British officers built wooden bungalows on this island. However, due to tigers, snakes, storms, and tidal surges, the island was eventually abandoned.

It is said that a British officer once took away a stone idol of Janguli (a serpent-related Buddhist deity) from this temple. Where that idol was later relocated remains unknown.

On the eastern side of Netidhopani Island lies another area called Bhagaban Lot, separated by the water channel known as Bhagaban Varani. Even today, beneath those waters lies another exquisitely beautiful temple of the same ratha-style architecture. In fact, the Netidhopani block once had at least three temples. The third temple is believed to be buried under the silt of the Chandramukhi canal.

In ancient times, Netidhopani was considered a center of toxicology and esoteric knowledge. While we have lost that ancient science, its external traditions still survive in folklore.

At the ghat of Netidhopani there once stood a washing slab. At first glance it appeared to be made of stone. According to legend, Neti, the celestial washerwoman, washed the garments of the gods upon it. In reality, the slab was actually the fossilized trunk of a tree. Today that too lies buried deep under layers of silt.

Heritage Week continues to be celebrated. Amid many challenges, heritage itself stands endangered. In such a moment, I cannot help but remember the even more endangered ancient heritage of Netidhopani.

At least you rise again, O Netidhopani of the Sundarbans!

Author: Debishankar Middya
Photographs: Sundarban Archaeological Research Center