On June 1, Bangladesh Bank released new banknotes for the Tk20, Tk50, and Tk1,000 denominations ahead of Eid-ul-Adha.
Intead of the image of the nation’s founding father, the new notes aim to highlight the natural landscapes and cultural and traditional landmarks of the country, including the diverse religious history that marks Bangladesh’s landscape and lore,
The Tk20 banknote, for example, features Kantaji Temple, located on the banks of the Dhepa River in the Sundarpur Union of Kaharol Upazila in Dinajpur. The temple was built following the Indo-Persian architectural style and is noted for the diversity of its terracotta ornamentation. It was constructed as a shrine for the warlike manifestations of Lord Krishna. Although situated in the Shyamgarh area, the temple was renamed Kantanagar after the deity it houses.
According to the northern foundation inscription of the temple, its construction began in 1704 AD under the direct supervision and patronage of Maharaja Prannath (who died in 1722 AD). Following his instructions, his adopted son Raja Ramnath Roy completed the construction in 1752 AD.
The temple was built on a square platform approximately 1 metre high and 18 metres on each side. Each side of the brick temple is 16 metres in length. This three-story temple originally had nine spires, which is why it is called a Nava-ratna (nine-jewel) temple. Initially, the height of Kantaji Temple was 70 feet, but in 1897, an earthquake destroyed its spires. Although Raja Girijanath later restored the temple, the spires were never rebuilt.
While the temple courtyard is rectangular, the temple itself, which stands on a stone foundation and is 50 feet tall, is square in shape, measuring 19.20 x 19.20 square meters. The building itself covers an area of 15.84 x 15.84 square meters.
Each floor of the temple is surrounded by verandas. The terracotta panels of the temple depict scenes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata, as well as portray the everyday lives of the common people in Bengal during the Mughal period. A staircase rises from the second veranda on the western side of the temple.
It is believed that the stones used in the construction of the temple were brought from the Himalayas, the hilly regions of Assam, and the Rajmahal Hills of Bihar. The temple was constructed using a mixture of brick, sand, terracotta, and hard stone.
Historian Buchanan Hamilton thought Kantaji Temple to be the most beautiful of the temples that adorn Bangladesh. The temple is part of the Dinajpur Rajbari Estate, which still oversees its maintenance. The Department of Archaeology assists in its upkeep. Various development initiatives have been undertaken for the overall improvement of the temple with the help of the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
