Naresh Madhu
PABNA, Mar 27:- The holy bath of Baruni was held this time in the pond of Marmi Kali Temple in Ishwadi Upazila of Pabna district, established during the reign of Rani Bhabani.Today, Thursday, at 11 am, for the first time, the Baruni Snan Utsav was celebrated in the pond of Marmi Kali Temple. The bath festival was inaugurated by the president of the temple Marmi Temple Committee, Naresh Chandra Madhu. General Secretary Gaurang Chandra Ghosh, Advisory Council member Binay Jyoti Kundu, Treasurer Santosh Kumar Sarkar, and Ratan Kumar Saha were present at the time. In addition, Gaur Sen, Prem Dutta, Ratan Adhikari, Pradeep Karmakar, Neelmani Kundu and Sunil Karmakar, along with local representatives, hundreds of devotees from different areas joined the bath festival.
It is written in Skanda Purana that when the Shatabhisha Natra joins the Krishna Trayodashi tithi of Chaitra month, that tithi is known as Baruni. Baruni is another name for the daughter of the Himalayas Ganga. Baruni bath here is a replica of Ganga bath. According to the scriptures, if that day falls on a Saturday in any year, that Baruni bath acquires extraordinary features and becomes the Maha Baruni bath.
It is said that after the death of the ‘landlord’ husband of Rani Bhavani Natore estate, Raja Ramakant Maitra (Roy), she became the landowner and she ruled from 1716 to 1803.
Marmi Temple is one of the historical temples in northern Bangladesh. During the life of Raja Bhadu Kumar Roy Bhadur of Rani Bhavani kingdom in Natore district, the temple was established on 13.50 acres of land out of 13.59 acres of land. The temple is established on 2.8 acres of land out of 13.50 acres of land. The king dug a pond on 11.02 acres of land to ensure drinking and bathing water in the area. During the biography, a group of underprivileged people settled near the pond and they have been living there for many years.
During the partition of 1947, most of the Hindus left Bangladesh and the property became abundant. Taking this opportunity, a judge Mukarram Hossain illegally occupied the land by making forged documents. And enjoyed the land, pond and land based on forged documents. And the Kali Mata temple was destroyed. Meanwhile, in 1993, a group of local Hindus came forward and worshipped at the Marmai Kali temple.
To rescue the temple, a temple committee was formed in 1994 and searched the property records. The committee found that the occupant had made forged documents. According to the RS records, the committee found the temple and land recorded for the temple. And they filed a case against Jamshed Uddin Chowdhury, son of Justice Mukarram Hossain. Based on the case, an investigation team was formed and it was found that the land was recorded in the name of Marmi Kali Mata. The court ruled in favor of the Marmi Kali Temple Committee. Then the opponents approached the High Court and finally the High Court ruled in favor of the Temple Committee. But for a long time, local Hindus have been worshipping in the Marmi Kali Temple and this time the bathing festival has been organized.
President Naresh Madhu addressed the devotees at the inauguration of the bathing festival, saying, “We all have to work together for the development of the temple. We have to work together to uphold the traditional culture of the temple, forgetting all the differences.”
Various festivals are being held in the Marmi Temple in different months. Numerous Hindu and tribal families in the area are getting opportunities from the temple and others are benefiting from the temple.
The temple has a historical importance and has such a large property that we have to ensure regular worship and other religious activities as per Hindu religious norms. Apart from the temple/shrine, a guest house is required in the temple premises if there is a room for prayer, festival arrangements, accommodation for the priest and a boundary wall. Devotees do not have shelter in the temple premises during the puja and have no option to take shelter if a natural disaster strikes.
Therefore, the construction of temples, ensuring regular puja, land conservation, and reconstruction of ghats for the biggest pond bathing festival is essential.
Naresh Madhu
27.03.25
