Culture Midnapore

1 culture

1.1 historic attractions
1.2 cultural distinctiveness
1.3 entertainment
1.4 religious beliefs , festivals

culture
historic attractions

chapaleswar (shiva) temple, karnagarh

the chapaleswar , mahamaya temples @ karnagarh built in odisha style of temple architecture, 10 km north of town, 2 of popular temples. both built in 10th century karna keshari of keshari/soma vamsi dynasty of odisha. temple of historic importance being hotspot of chuar revolt during indian independence movement.

outstanding hindu , jain temples located in village of pathra, few kilometres town. hundreds of small temples dating antiquity located here many in state of disrepair due in part lack of sort of preservation, succumbing waters of kasai river, , theft of bricks locals. ngo pathra archaeological preservation committee, founded yeasin pathan, has persuaded archaeological survey of india restore temples. 2,000,000 indian rupees donated cause in 1998 , many of temples have been restored. remarkably secluded in location, archaeological site visited inaccessible , little known outside of immediate area. .the jagannath temple @ nutan bazar built in 1851, possibly @ request of descendant of ganga dynasty of odisha. other temples eighteenth century include hanuman-jeu temple in mirzabazar, shitala temple @ barabazar, , habibpur kali temple. 1 of oldest temples in town rukmini temple @ nutanbazar built in 17th century. ramakrishna mission has temple adjacent elementary , high school. goddess kali @ battala temple important temple in locality, more recent addition.

there numerous majars , dargahs dotting city. jora masjid notable in town , site of notable annual urs. among majars, dewan baba s majar near district court , fakir kua near bus terminus locally revered. according local legend, water of @ fakir kua majar has mysterious healing powers, although veracity of claim debatable.

in heyday of brahmo samaj, midnapore became major centre of society. rishi rajnarayan basu, 1 of luminaries in brahmo samaj movement, worked head master of zilla school. dilapidated hall of brahmo samaj, brahmo samaj mandir near midnapore collegiate school silent reminder of brahmo presence of yesteryears. of old administrative , educational buildings dating more 150 years still functioning today.

in case of music, basanta banerjee salboni s banerjee family first introduce achordium first time in town.moreover had own orchestra used play in programs . there other classical honoured singers biseswar sarkar, pandit kamalendu chowdhury made , still making town melodious there fame classical voice..

the royal ruins @ gopegarh heritage park



a view of kasai gopegarh heritage park


cultural distinctiveness

life, in general, slow-paced in midnapore, sort of tribute mofussil provincial heart of city. midnaporeans in general laid-back , friendly. not uncommon shops open late , close during hours of afternoon in hotter months of year. shops can close tea , sporting events such cricket , world cup football. tea-shops , paan-stalls abound , there high concentration of mishtir dokaan (sweet-shops). here can find 1 of notable sweets in bengal – khirayer gogjaa .adda or bengali gossip prevalent , enjoyed.

the local dialect of bengali different standard kolkata pronunciation , though not odia-centric dialects of contai , dantan, show minor similarities oriya. speech informal , talebossho, murdhenoshho, , dontesho pronounced differently standardised west bengal dialect.

a significant fraction of population of undivided district descended vaishnavites – followers of shri chaitanya – although follow rituals , caste system of mainstream hinduism now. many migrated odisha , merged form unique bengali culture. in fact, since area part of odisha earlier, better described mix of bengali , oriya culture. there marwari , bhojpuri speakers , number of speakers of hindi in town well. many of muslims of town speak in pidgin dialect mixture of bengali, hindi, urdu, , bhojpuri words.

entertainment

since many midnaporeans fond of walking, number of parks have come in recent years.gopegarh heritage park picnic spot families , youth , opened in 2001. booking picnic spot , boating facilities can arranged @ ticket counter. popular park of town sukumar sengupta smriti uddan (popularly known police line park) near central bus stand. other parks sishu uddan , khudiram park. many people can seen in cooler morning , evening hours walking near riverfront.

there number of major theatres in town including aurora, mahua , hari cinema hall. aurora, mahua closed now, hari cinema hall still running number of private , government operated halls include zilla parishad hall, vivekandanda hall (inside midnapore college), , vidyasagar hall. these venue numerous cultural events hosting of dramas, concerts, poetry-recitals, , dance programs. of these venues numerous melas or canivals hosted each year on adjacent grounds such midnapore college-collegiate ground, church school ground (for christmas fair), , river ground (for large political assemblies).

the bank of kangsabati river (also variously known kasai , cossye) great sightseeing , fishing , popular destination picnics during christmas , new year s breaks. unfortunately bank being eroded new construction, brick-kilns , new communities.

in last 1 year city life, metro bazzar, reliance trends, hoffman, supermarkets have come , few others start become places of time pass , shopping other malls in major cities.

rangamati sarbajanin durga puja, 2003


religious beliefs , festivals

in bengali month of asharh, (roughly corresponding mid-september), rathayatra celebrated case in rest of bengal , odisha. fair hosted near local jagannath temple. , during christmas, fair on grounds of nirmal hriday ashram participated. church opened on occasion , people communities throng prayer hall take glimpse of beautiful murals narrating life of jesus. resident students recreate scene of jesus birth clay models.

apart that, regular bengali festivals durga puja, saraswati puja, , kali puja attended. in last few years, local clubs , communities have competed each other designing best durga puja murtis (idols), mandaps (interior of abode), , pandals (bamboo , cloth makeshift enclosures) hundreds of thousands of rupees being spent each club. in recent times, pujas hosted rangamati sharbajanin club, keranitola, burdge town, chottobazaar, raja bazaar, bidhan nagar, ashok nagar, , judge s court have been highly rated. other common pujas in worship of shitala, jagaddhatri, holi, janmashtami, manasa, kartika, , ganesh common not such major cause of celebration.

vishwakarma puja remarkably popular in city. unlike in kolkata, vishwakarma puja not celebrated flying kites. respect tribal history, people in midnapur fly kites celebrate baraam puja , day of tribal god. on last day of bengali month of poush, i.e. poush sankranti. apart kite-flying, fair held on poush sankranti. has rural flavour , characterised trading of handicraft , household goods. items of trade include spades, knives , other iron tools, combs , other goods made of buffalo-horn, baskets (jhuri , dhama) , platters husking (kula) made of bamboo , cane, etc. bheema puja puja not widespread elsewhere.

and many more religious festivals held in midnapore each year. urs of venerated saint hazrat maulana syed shah murshed ali alquadri al jilani son of hazrat syed shah mehr ali alquadri al baghdadi major occasion bengali muslims of west bengal , bangladesh. held each year near jora masjid (twin mosques). milad-un-nabi celebrated bursting of fireworks. many devout muslims observe fasts during month of ramadan, ends in celebration @ eid ul-fitr. eid ul-adha locally known bakhri-eid celebrated. during remembrance of muharram, processions throng streets enacting mock stick-fights in remembrance of husayn ibn ali.