A glimpse of history

The "Durga Temple" in Taherpur of Rajshahi's Bagmara upazila. The last generation of King Kansa Narayan Roy built the temple in the 18th century, in memory of the late king who first introduced the festival of Durga Puja in a universal manner ensuring participation of all castes of the Hindus, as the saying goes. The temple's cleric Gopal Chandra Chakrawarty said the idol of Durga is available in the temple throughout the year. “After holding a Durga Puja, we keep idols until the next year for visitors. We immerse the old idols when new idols arrive,” he said. These days, the temple has already lost much of its grandeur in the absence of much-needed renovation work. In this regard, Kartik Saha, general secretary of the temple committee, said, “We maintain it [temple] with our limited resources. Therefore, the authorities concerned have to come forward to preserve the heritage site." The photos were taken recently.  

Photo: Anwar Ali