RANG MAHAL -- The palace in ruins 

History of Bengal also comes hand in hand with histories of variety of zamindar families that dominated social scene of the region for several centuries until coming of independence . And along with the story  of zamindars comes the story of their palaces and temples . The architecture that they patronised . The overwhelming majority of the zamindari houses that survive today are distinctively european flovoured . But before coming of the british , it was Mughal and Nawabi tastes and styles that dominated the scene . Unfortunately only a select few buildings of that style still survive .

The abonded ruins of Rang mahal at the nondescript Mankar village of Burdwan district is one such palace that has a strong indo islamic influence . The ceilings are made solely from bricks ( unlike use of wood buttresses in British era )  . The arches are persian , the stucco work is very late mughal .

The simha dwar , lion late with Nuabat ( concert rooms for playing sehnaai as the king enters ) on top and two stucco bengali styled lions carved in relief

  

The residential complex inside

There are two Shiva temples . The lingas are now missing

Locals say of a certain Dikkhits who were the owners of Rang Mahal . Their tutelary goddess , a golden statue of Durga used to be brought to this palace for annual worship . The descendants have moved on to Burdwan town and the grand buildings are now falling apart .

Beautiful painted stucco work

An octagonal building with a arched circumbulatory path ( now partially collapsed ) . I think it was a raas mancha

Stucco carvings of Radha Krishna in medieval Bengali style

Each faces of the octagonal building had a pair of Radha Krishna each

Dikkhit / Dikshit is not a popular bengali title . Which makes me think that this family might have been originally from the west , as with many other zamindar families .
The famous Burdwan Raj family was from Punjab while the Nashipur Raj family of Murshidabad hailed from Uttar pradesh . During their long stay in Bengal , they were relegated into the culture of the state ...... but they still retained some of their native styles . It is possible that the rang mahal palace bears a distinct north indian indo islamic style because the royals originated in northern India .

DOLYATRA -- Death of a tradition 

Dol-Durgotsav – this conjoined word is often used in Bengali language to denote big extravagant festivals . But things have changed so much in the last hundred years , that it's hardly discernible today , that Dol , the spring festival of colours was as big an event in Bengal as Durgotsav of modern times !

Bengal have been the homeland of tantra since the Buddhist Pala empire . So no wonder the annual festival of Durga is a big event . But after the advent of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu , there came a surge of vaishnavism in Bengal . Dol yatra , the swing and colour festival of Radha and Krishna kicks off from this point in history . Old texts narrate how the 'earth went red with blood from sacrifice during Durga puja and colours during Dol' . Tales resound of how the Dalhousie square tank used to turn red with colours , to be used for playing holi at the Savarna Roy Chowdhury’s family festival , giving the waterbody its name – Laal Dighee .

Shyam Raay of Shantipur during Dolyatra

It was the tradition of Bengali households to begin the day by taking a bath and offering colours at the feet of family gods and then to the elders . Only then one can go out and play colours with friends . Water base colours and sprinkler brass pichhkaaris were reserved for the morning and dry aabir powders were played out once again in the evening . Month before Dol arrived , local youngsters used to collect dry coconut leaves , fallen tree branches and similar stuff and horde them for burning the night before . “Aaj aamaader nyaaraa poraa , kaal aamaader dol . Purnimaa-te chaand utheche , bawlow horibol” --- shouts of jubilation went up and filled the skies .
Numerous temples dedicated to Radha Krishna used to mount their deities on swings . This used to be followed by lavish feasts and play of colours . The colonial zamindars wanted to recreate a slice of Vrindavan in the soil of Bengal . Siddhi was customary on the day of Holi , and so was sugar candies called ‘mutt’ and ‘phutkoraai’ . Dol yatra was also an occasion for the riche to indulge in courtesan dances , nautches , kobi-gaan , yatra theatre and similar entertainments . Festivities often went on for a week . 

'Mutt' candy

Then with the rise of Brahmo movement under the aegis of Tagore family , a more sophisticated ‘vasantosav’ was cloned out of the mother dolyatra . It is possible that the unrestrained madness of traditional Holi was not in sync with the European influenced western sensibilities of Tagore family . Brahmo samaj’s vasantotsav found a colourful expression in the festival of Shantiniketan .  It was quick to catch the imagination of modern Bengalis and soon more and more people flocked to this new reformed way of celebrating dol . It was aesthetic , non coercive , organised , orderly and intellectually satisfying . But where did the sheer life force of Dol disappear ?!

 

Vasantotsav at Jorasaanko Tagore house

Vasantotsav at Jorasaanko Tagore house

But barely a century or so back ,  dolyatra was as great a festival as durgotsava ! The old centers of Dolyatra still stand , the Radha Krishna deities are still mounted on swing , placed on their dilapidated and neglected dol-manchas and given their special worship . But the fanfare and colours just seemed to have vanished . Tales of pools of colours , sandalwood mixed aabir, rose water and brass pichkaaris are now fairtytale stories . Week long festivities , kirtan gaan , aabir khela in evenings are extinct . ‘Nera pora’ is dying with each passing year . ‘Mutt’ sugar candies are hated for their ‘too much’ sweetness .

Yes , we do play colours even now , but can this festival be called Dolyatra ? Dola means swing and dolyatra means the festival of swinging . Its the day when the deities were swung gently in welcome of spring . The 'Radha gobindo's , 'Shyamraai's and 'Nandadulal's  of yesteryears , once so lovingly installed by our forefathers , now lay forgotten neglected in their aging temple .  No swings are mounted , no songs are sung .The last strains of sweet kirtan songs have long dissipated in the abyss called time . Where did the grand old carnival of spring disappear ?!!

dolmancha of Gopinath , Dasghara Hooghly