Back

Dashboard

Temple Details

States

City

God Name

God Type

Type

Aathara Sthalam
Abodes of Murugan
Ashta Veeratta Temples
Asta Vinayak Temples
Chardam Yatra Temples
Divya Desams
Durga Aalayams by Sage Parasurama
Jyothirlingams
Mandi Mandaean Temple
Muktiskhetras
Nagadevatas Temples
Nakshatra Temples & Trees
Narasimha Skhetras
Nava Puliyur Temples
Nava Tirupati Temples
Navagraha Parihara Temples
Others
Paadal Petra Sthalams
Pancha Bhoota Sthalams
Pancha Dwaraka Temples
Pancha Kannan Temples
Pancha Kedar Temples
Pancha Pandava Temples
Pancha Ranga Kshetras
Pancha Sabhai Thalangal
Pancharama Skhetras
Parihara Shiva Temples
Saptha Mangai Stalangal
Saptha Stana Temples
Saptha Sthana Sthalams
Saptha Vidangam
Sapthavigraha Moorthis
Sastha Aalayam by Sage Parasurama
Shakti Peethas
Shiridi Sai Temples
Shiva Temples by Sage Parasurama
Swayambhu Temples
Tevaram Vaippu Sthalams
Vishnumaya Temples

Temple Speciality

Temple Name

Sthalam

&nbsp;

Dhakeshwari National Temple is a Hindu temple in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is state-owned, giving it the distinction of being Bangladesh&#39;s &#39;National Temple&#39;.&nbsp;It is also the largest Hindu temple in Bangladesh.&nbsp;This temple is part of the famous Shakti Peethas in Indian Subcontinent. Here the gem of Sati&#39;s crown had fallen.The Dhakeshwari (Durga) temple was built in the 12th century by Ballal Sen, a king of the Sena dynasty, and it is said that the city Dhaka was named after the Goddess.

The current architectural style of the temple cannot be dated to that period because of the numerous repairs, renovations, and rebuilding which have taken place over time. It is considered an essential part of Dhaka&#39;s cultural heritage. Many researchers believe that the temple is also one of the Shakti Peethas, where the jewel from the crown of the Goddess Sati had fallen. For ages, the temple has been held in great importance. The original 800-year-old murti was taken to Kumartuli, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.

During the partition of India, she was brought to Kolkata from Dhaka with millions of refugees. By 1950, the businessman Debendranath Chaudhary built the temple of Goddess in Kumortuli area and established some of the Goddess&#39; property for her daily services. The idol is 1.5 feet tall, has ten arms, mounted on her lion in the form of Katyani Mahishasurmardini &#39;Durga&#39;. On her two sides are Laxmi, Saraswati, Kartik and Ganesh. A Tiwari family from Azamgarh was appointed by the royal family for daily worship of the deity. In 1946, the descendants of that family came to Calcutta and were re-appointed, where they still serve the Goddess continuously.

&nbsp;

Puranam

&nbsp;

Dhakeshwari, meaning &#39;Goddess of Dhaka&#39; is the primary Hindu temple in Bangladesh. In the year 1966 it began to be called Dhakeshwari Jatiya Mandir, the result of a campaign by Bangladeshi Hindu groups who had been demanding official recognition following the declaration of Islam as the state religion in 1988. It is state-owned, giving it the distinction of being Bangladesh&#39;s National Temple.

According to legend Dhakeshwari was built in the 12th century by King Ballal Sen of the Sena dynasty. It is said the king dreamt of a statue of the goddess Durga buried in the jungle and after finding the statue installed it in his temple as Dhakeshwari. The current architectural style of the temple cannot, however, be dated to the 12th century because of the numerous renovations, repairs and rebuildings that have taken place over time. The present temple is two hundred years old and was built by an agent of the East India Company, though quite probably the agent merely renovated the existing temple.

It is a three-roomed structure with a veranda in front and has beautiful wooden doors with carvings. In the northeastern corner of the complex are four small Shiva temples constructed in the 16th century by King Mansing. The Dhakeshwari temple is open everyday and people from all religions are welcome.

&nbsp;

Some people consider Dhakeshwari temple to be one of the&nbsp;Shakti Pithas, where the jewel from the crown of the Goddess Sati had fallen. While the truth of this is unknown, the temple has been highly venerated for many hundreds of years. The original 800-year-old statue of Durga was taken to Kumartuli, Kolkata in West Bengal, India but a replica of that statue is still held at Dhakeswari.

The Dhakeshwari Temple was severely damaged during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, and over half of the temple&#39;s buildings were destroyed. The main worship hall was taken over by the Pakistan Army and used as an ammunitions storage area. The temple was further damaged during the Muslim mob attacks of 1989&ndash;92. A significant portion of the temple land has been lost due to the Vested Property Act and confiscation by the Bangladesh Government, and the current premises are considerably smaller than the historic reach of the property.

The Dhakeshwari Temple is a hub of socio-cultural as well as religious activity. Each year, the large celebration of&nbsp;Durga Puja&nbsp;(the most important event in the Bengali Hindu calendar) in Dhaka is held at the temple. Several thousand worshippers and onlookers (including Muslims) stream through the premises where they are offered Prasad (food &ndash; usually rice and lentils). Durga Puja comes to an end after five days, with the idols of Durga and her four children Lakshmi, Saraswati, Kartik and Ganesh taken in processions from the temple for immersion in river or sea. A&nbsp;Bijaya Sammelani&nbsp;cultural program takes place in the adjoining parade ground a few days after Durga Puja is complete, and it is also a major cultural event in the Dhaka calendar, regularly attracting some of the top performers from the Dhaka music and film industry.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

One of the most important events of the year is the Janmashthami procession which starts from Dhakeshwari temple and then proceeds through the streets of Old Dhaka; this occurs on the day of Lord Krishna&#39;s birthday, which is also a public holiday in Bangladesh and second only to Durga Puja in importance in the Bengali calendar. The procession dates back to 1902 but was stopped in 1948 following the establishment of Pakistan and subsequent attacks by Muslim mobs in Dhaka. The procession was resumed in 1989.

In previous centuries, festivals also happened during the month of&nbsp;Chaitra&nbsp;in the temple complex (In India&#39;s Hindu and Tamil calendars, Chaitra is the first month of the year, in the Bengali and Nepalese calendars it is considered the last month, and according to the Gregorian calendar it commences in March or April).

Dhaka, formerly spelled as&nbsp;Dacca&nbsp;in English, is the capital and one of the oldest cities of Bangladesh. The history of Dhaka begins with the existence of urbanized settlements in the area that is now Dhaka dating from the 7th century CE. The city area was ruled by the Buddhist kingdom of Kamarupa before passing to the control of the Sena dynasty in the 9th century CE. After the Sena dynasty, Dhaka was successively ruled by the Turkic and Afghan governors descending from the Delhi Sultanate before the arrival of the Mughals in 1608. After the Mughals, the British ruled the region for over 150 years until the independence of India. In 1947, Dhaka became the capital of the East Bengal province under the dominion of Pakistan. Following the independence of Bangladesh in 1971, Dhaka became the capital of the new state.

There are different theories regarding the origin of the name&nbsp;Dhaka. One is that the name came following the establishment of the Dhakeshwari Goddess temple by Raja Ballal Sea in the 12th century. Another comes from the&nbsp;Rajatarangini&nbsp;text, written by a Kashmiri Brahman named Kalhana. It says the region was originally known as&nbsp;Dhaka. The word&nbsp;Dhaka&nbsp;means&nbsp;watchtower. Bikrampur and Sonargaon &mdash; the earlier strongholds of Bengal rulers were situated nearby. So Dhaka was likely used as the watchtower for their fortifications.

&nbsp;

Varnam

Highlights

Sevas/Festivals

Timing

&nbsp;

<table>
	<thead>
		<tr>
			<th>Day</th>
			<th>Timing</th>
		</tr>
	</thead>
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>Monday</td>
			<td>6:00 am &ndash;&nbsp;12:30 pm (Oct - Mar) 
			3:00 pm &ndash;&nbsp;8:30 pm (Oct - Mar) 
			6:00 am &ndash;&nbsp;12:30 pm (Apr - Sep) 
			3:30 pm &ndash;&nbsp;9:00 pm (Apr - Sep)</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Tuesday</td>
			<td>6:00 am &ndash;&nbsp;12:30 pm (Oct - Mar) 
			3:00 pm &ndash;&nbsp;8:30 pm (Oct - Mar) 
			6:00 am &ndash;&nbsp;12:30 pm (Apr - Sep) 
			3:30 pm &ndash;&nbsp;9:00 pm (Apr - Sep)</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Wedesday</td>
			<td>6:00 am &ndash;&nbsp;12:30 pm (Oct - Mar) 
			3:00 pm &ndash;&nbsp;8:30 pm (Oct - Mar) 
			6:00 am &ndash;&nbsp;12:30 pm (Apr - Sep) 
			3:30 pm &ndash;&nbsp;9:00 pm (Apr - Sep)</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Thursday</td>
			<td>6:00 am &ndash;&nbsp;12:30 pm (Oct - Mar) 
			3:00 pm &ndash;&nbsp;8:30 pm (Oct - Mar) 
			6:00 am &ndash;&nbsp;12:30 pm (Apr - Sep) 
			3:30 pm &ndash;&nbsp;9:00 pm (Apr - Sep)</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Friday</td>
			<td>6:00 am &ndash;&nbsp;12:30 pm (Oct - Mar) 
			3:00 pm &ndash;&nbsp;8:30 pm (Oct - Mar) 
			6:00 am &ndash;&nbsp;12:30 pm (Apr - Sep) 
			3:30 pm &ndash;&nbsp;9:00 pm (Apr - Sep)</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Saturday</td>
			<td>6:00 am &ndash;&nbsp;12:30 pm (Oct - Mar) 
			3:00 pm &ndash;&nbsp;8:30 pm (Oct - Mar) 
			6:00 am &ndash;&nbsp;12:30 pm (Apr - Sep) 
			3:30 pm &ndash;&nbsp;9:00 pm (Apr - Sep)</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Sunday</td>
			<td>6:00 am &ndash;&nbsp;12:30 pm (Oct - Mar) 
			3:00 pm &ndash;&nbsp;8:30 pm (Oct - Mar) 
			6:00 am &ndash;&nbsp;12:30 pm (Apr - Sep) 
			3:30 pm &ndash;&nbsp;9:00 pm (Apr - Sep)</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

&nbsp;

contact

Address

Google Link

Image

Status