हिंदीOn this day
Rebuilt

Dhakeshwari National Temple

The Devi temple that the city of Dhaka is often said to be named after, and the National Temple of Bangladesh. Its original murti was taken to Kolkata after Partition.

Built: By tradition 12th century, Ballal Sena; present buildings later and much repairedWhere: Old Dhaka, Dhaka Division, BangladeshDeity: Devi Dhakeshwari (a form of Durga)23.72° N, 90.39° E
  1. 12th century (tradition)
  2. After 1947
  3. 1971
Photo: Ragib Hasan · CC BY 2.5

01Goddess of Dhaka

Bengal tradition credits the Sena king Ballal Sena with founding the temple in the twelfth century, after he found the hidden murti of Devi in the jungle; Dhaka-ishwari, the hidden goddess, then gave the city its name. The present shrines, the four small Shiva temples of the compound and the gate are of later centuries and have been repaired many times. Some count it among the Upapeethas, where an ornament of Sati fell.

021947 and 1971

After Partition the old murti, an eight-hundred-year-old image of Dashabhuja Durga, was carried to Kolkata, where it is worshipped at the Dhakeshwari temple in Kumartuli. A replica took its place in Dhaka. During the war of 1971 the Pakistan Army occupied the temple, used the main hall as an ammunition store, and more than half the buildings were damaged. The families who stayed kept the worship going, and the repairs took years.

03The National Temple

Bangladesh recognises Dhakeshwari as its Jatiya Mandir, the national temple. During Durga Puja in Ashvin the compound is packed day and night, and on Vijaya Dashami processions leave for immersion in the Buriganga. Janmashtami processions in Dhaka also set out from here. It is the centre of Hindu life for the city’s large Hindu community. The compound stands a short walk from Lalbagh Fort, in the oldest quarter of the city.

The life of this place

  1. 12th century (tradition)Ballal Sena founds the temple, by Bengal tradition.
  2. After 1947The original murti was taken to Kolkata; a replica was installed in Dhaka.
  3. 1971Occupied by the Pakistan Army and heavily damaged during the Liberation War.
Visiting

In Old Dhaka near Lalbagh. Go during Durga Puja for the festival, or early on a weekday morning for a quiet darshan.

Nearby

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