OF art AND MORE

As age-old art comes to life and lockdown restrictions lenient now more than ever, UTTARA GANGOPADHYAY finds herself lost in a few archaeological and architectural marvels.

- UTTARA GANGOPADHYAY 

With TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS being lifted, popular weekend destinations around Kolkata are slowly becoming crowded. So if you are fancy-free and looking for a relatively less-crowded destination why not head to Dwarhatta, about 60kms and around two hours’ drive from the city?

So on the first Sunday of January, we decided to explore Dwarhatta, along with its lesser-known neighbouring towns of Antpur and Rajbalhat.

Our first halt was at Antpur, a village known for its terracotta temples and for its association with the Ramakrishna Vivekananda Order. It was in an open-air corner of the ancestral house of Swami Premananda that Swami Vivekananda and eight other disciples of Ramakrishna Paramahansa lit a sacred fire on Christmas Eve of 1886 for meditation, following which they discoursed on the teachings and sacrifices of Jesus Christ, ultimately deciding to renounce the world and become monks dedicated to serving the people. Thus, the seed of the Ramakrishna Order was planted. The space where the holy fire was built is now enshrined. Beyond this is a two-storey building where the rooms where Swami Vivekananda and Sarada Devi (wife of Ramakrishna Paramhansa) stayed for a while have been preserved.

* Did you know that the Mondwarika Resort in Dwarhatta uses discarded automobile tyres as a part of construction material for walls?