The Madan Mohan Temple, Cooch Behar

The Cooch Behar Madan Mohan Temple

The main temple, from front

No person can call himself a Bengali if he hasn't at least heard of this famous temple of Madan Mohan, standing on the western segment of the town of Cooch Behar. Erected by the famous Koch Kings, Madan Mohan used to be the personal god of the royal dynasty. With time, that might have faded away, but the degree of devotion and love towards the God remains till date.

Devotees worshipping the Lord

At the heart of Cooch Behar township, one can see the beautifully designed rectangular campus housing the celebrated temple of the god at its centre. Constructed during 1885 to 1889 under the reign of His Highness Maharaja Nripendranarayan, the temple is a marvellous representative of the glory of Koch Kingdom. The main temple complex is guarded by a white wall in all directions, with the central gate towards the south. The main temples and shrines in the campus are:

• Shri Madan Mohan shrine, the chief deity worshipped here. The chief deity of the royal house of Cooch Behar, Lord Madan Mohan is still worshipped by thousands of devotees both from far and near.
  
• Maa Bhavani temple, to the east. It is a relatively smaller building hosting a mighty statue of Goddess Bhavani, who actually is but another aspect of Goddess Durga in her Mahishamardini form. The red figure of the Goddess is seen to be situated atop a silver throne.
  
• Maa Baradevi temple, which is a few metres away from the main complex. The Goddess is seen to be worshipped in the Bara Devi Badi Mandir.
  
• Other deities include Maa Kali and Maa Tara.
  

Inside the main complex, we could see a number of figures of different gods and goddesses from the Hindu pantheon. A statue of Lord Shiva in his famous Nataraja pose is especially realistic. There are spaces reserved on both sides of the main temple for hosting different decorations and figures during the Raas Mela festival, which is rightly one of the largest ones of its kind in North Bengal.

Me, standing beside the Bhavani Shrine

Inside the main temple, the Lord can be seen dressed in brilliant yellow, with Lady Radha to his left and a golden umbrella at the top of the throne. Traditionally, there are twelve Yatraas in a year, ranging from Dol Yaatra to Raas Yatra, and each of them are celebrated with much splendour and devotion in the Madan Mohantemple.

As per the Official charters regarding the ceremony of Raas Yaatra, it is usually stated that “It is possibly felt that to commemorate the house-warming ceremony of Maharaja Harendra Narayan along with his kin & relatives at the new residence of Bhetaguri on the Russ Purnima in 1812 AD, the Russmela (festival associated with Russ) is celebrated since then.”

The Raas Chakra

The famous Raas Chakra

One of the major attractions during the Raas Yatraa is the Raas Chakra, which is a structure built on bamboo framework and can reach about 30 feet in height. It includes sophisticated paper designs illustrated with various images of gods and goddesses from the Hindu pantheon. It is, surprisingly, an ancestral craft of a Muslim family, and as such, it has been directly influenced by Islam and Buddhist ideas. It symbolizes communal harmony and the equality of all religions before the Maharaja of Cooch Behar. To quote from the government site, “On the auspicious moment of Russ Purnima, after completion of the worship of Ma Katyayoni and Russ Mancha, the Maharaja used to declare the opening of the festival by rotating the Russ Chakra. At present, the District Magistrate of Cooch Behar (also President of the Debuttor Trust Board) performs the inauguration of the festival. People gather in flocks at the temple during the celebration of the Russmela because rotating the Russ Chakra is believed to be a holy duty of the devotees.”

The Bairagi Dighi is on the opposite side of the temple gate to the south, and harbours a scenary of stupendous beauty. Many foreign and Himalayan birds can be seen perching here during the wintertime following the Raas Purnima. 

One thing must be said about the entire region. I have seen few temples which are equivalent to this shrine, so far as cleanliness and order are concerned. No gang of Pandaas trying to snatch off your wallet, no line of beggars (well there are some, but they keep on sitting peacefully in front of the main gate, and get a share of the daily Prasad) howling around you and certainly no strict rules and regulations scaring the hell out of you. While the Raas Purnima is the best timing to visit the place, I guess any ordinary day can be as fruitful as well. Entry is free as long as you don't plan to offer a Puja. Simple taking a stroll around the garden surrounding the shrine can be especially energizing. 

Location

The temple complex is located at the heart of the township, just beside Bairagi Dighi. It is also a few blocks of walk from Sagar Dighi, which intersects all important government offices of the area. Rickshaws and taxis are often for hire, but be careful enough to bargain first.