Months after trying to usurp the land of the Chandranath Mandir, Islamists are now eyeing to encroach upon the Kantajew temple in the Dinajpur district of Bangladesh.
As per reports, Muslims had begun the construction of a mosque on the land of the historic temple. The foundation stone of the disputed structure was laid down by Mohammed Zakaria Zaka, the local Parliamentarian belonging to the ruling Awami League party.
The vicious attempt to defile the ancient Hindu site has triggered protests from the local Hindu community. The Kantajew temple administration is the owner of 62.46 acres of land (Raj Debtara Estate).
#HinduPersecution
— Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury (@salah_shoaib) March 23, 2024
Under direct patronization of ruling #AwamiLeague MP Zakaria Zaka, Muslims started illegally constructing mosque on land belonging to century-old #Kantajew Temple in Dinajpur district in #Bangladesh. @OpIndia_com @HinduHate @hindupost @eOrganiser @republic pic.twitter.com/jLHQHFGL0y
According to agent Ranjit Kumar Singh, the temple administration has updated CS, SA and land tax records. The temple land is maintained and supervised by a committee formed by the Raj Debtara Estate.
“We have written to Deputy Commissioner Shakeel Ahmed and sent him all the papers, including CS, SA and land tax records,” Singh informed.
According to committee officials, the local Muslims have prepared fake documents from the office of the District Commissioner to stake a claim on the Hindu temple land. On the other hand, Islamists have claimed that the owner of the land is the Jame Masjid of Kantnagar village.
After Chandranath Temple,this time Kantajew Temple has been occupied by Islamists. Muslims started building mosques by occupying the site of Kantajew Temple .Awami League leader inaugurated the mosque. We are seeking help from the Govt of India.@ihcdhaka#SaveKantajewTemple pic.twitter.com/kNcnvAOe9V
— Voice of Bangladeshi Hindus 🇧🇩 (@VoiceofHindu71) March 23, 2024
When confronted about the matter, Awami League MP Mohammed Zakaria Zaka claimed, “I heard that there wass a mosque in that area for 75 years. An initiative was thus taken to build a new mosque building. Later, I came to know that it was the property of the temple.”
“Therefore, I do not know whether this property claimed by the mosque authorities is valid or not. They told me that the documents had been made from the office of the district administration. I don’t know whether these documents are correct or not,” he added.
Mosque committee President Abdus Salam also alleged, “There was a rudimentary mosque here before. Currently, we are constructing a three-storied mosque with a foundation, funded by contributions totalling Taka 25 lakhs.”
“Previously, there was a legal dispute over this site, which was eventually resolved through a compromise ordered by the court. As per the terms of the compromise, documented in a deed of compromise dated 13.06.1976, the mosque is entitled to 8 percent of the land,” he further claimed.
Hindus demand intervention of Sheikh Hasina
Following the incident, the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council has condemned the construction of a mosque on the temple land and its inauguration by a local Awami League MP.
Council Presidents Ushatan Talukder, Prof Dr Neem Chandra Bhowmik, Nirmal Rosario and General Secretary Advocate Rana Dasgupta have sought the urgent intervention of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the matter to preserve the sanctity of the Kantajew temple and the religious freedom of the Hindu community.
According to Council leader Ratan Singh, the Islamists carried out the construction of the mosque during the night time. Following a complaint by the local Hindus, the construction of the disputed structure on the land of Kantajew temple was stopped.
Kantajew temple and its significance
The Kantajew Temple is a prominent Hindu temple located in the Kaharul Upazila in Dinajpur district of Bangladesh. It is one of the finest examples of terracotta temples in the country and is considered a significant cultural and architectural landmark.
The temple was built during the late 18th century by Maharaja Pran Nath, who was a renowned patron of art and architecture. The construction of the Mandir started in 1704 and was completed in 1752 (about 48 years).
The temple is dedicated to Lord Krishna. It follows the traditional style of Bengal architecture, characterised by terracotta ornamentation and intricate designs.
The temple complex consists of several structures, including the main temple, the Natmandir (a congregation hall), and the Shiva temple. The main temple features nine spires.
It must be mentioned that the Kantajew temple was attacked with explosives by ISIS terrorists on 4th December 2015. A year later, charges were framed against 13 terrorists associated with Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen.
The attempted siege of Chandranath temple
OpIndia had previously reported how the Chandranath Temple, a famous shaktipeeth located in Sitakunda in the Chittagong district of Bangladesh, has come under the attack of Islamists since 2023.
Despite being a sacred pilgrimage destination, it has reportedly been transformed into a trekking spot by the Muslim community in the past couple of years.
The 1020 feet Chandranath Hill now has Muslim-owned eateries to serve their co-religionists. The matter reached a crescendo in December 2023 when an Islamist named Raihan Riad organised a ‘Beef Barbecue party’ at the Hindu pilgrimage destination.
When he posted about the event on Facebook, several other Islamists expressed their support for desecrating the sacred Chandranath Hill.
Thereafter, the local Hindu community in Sitakunda went to the Hindu shrine and distributed pamphlets calling for the protection of the Chandranath Temple and thwarting attempts to defile the pilgrimage destination.
In a video posted on YouTube, human rights activist and exiled Bangladeshi blogger Asad Noor informed that Islamists assaulted the Hindus. He stated that the local Muslims threatened to shove the Hindu deities in the posterior of the worshippers.
