Telkupi is 18 kms away from Raghunathpur, Purulia. The most efficient way to get there is by private vehicle as there is no direct bus route. From Lalpur village near Telkupi, you could hire a country boat at a small fee to sail right up to the submerged shrines.
Telkupi (or Tailakampi) is a small non-descript village on the banks of Damodar River under Raghunathpur police station in Purulia district. The place has recently garnered interest among archaeologists and tourists, who flock there to view the Jaina architectural ruins of temples (Bhairavasthan) submerged by Panchet Dam in the Damodar River.
In Purulia district of West Bengal is a magnificent site that never fails to charm those who care to visit. Rising from the shimmering waters of the Damodar River are the spires of two temples, the only survivors of the many shrines that once stood here. This is a remnant of Telkupi, a lost temple town in Bengal.
Of the original 18 temples that once blessed this region, only two are visible, partially-submerged in the river. It is only in the peak of summer, when the waters are low, that the shikhar (spire) of a third temple is visible, in the middle of the waters.
The early history of Telkupi is steeped in mystery. Many historians believe Telkupi is the ancient capital of the Shikhar kings whose capital was Tailakampi. Historian Nagendranath Basu, in his book Banger Jatio Itihas Rajonya Kanda (History of Bengali People, 1927) states that this area was earlier known as Shikharbhum, and in the 11th century CE served as the capital of a local ruler named Rudrasikhara. Another prominent historian, Niharranjan Ray, dates the reign of Rudrasikhara to 1070 to 1120 CE. Poet Sandhyakar Nandi (c. 1084 - 1155 CE) mentions Rudrasikhara in his epic poem Ramacharitam.
Local historian Subash Roy, who has researched the built heritage of Purulia, says that ‘Taila’ is a type of tax in Sanskrita and ’Kampa’ is derived from the word ‘Kampan’, which means ‘Pargana’ or a cluster of villages. According to him, ‘Tailakampa’ was the abode of ‘tax-paying regional rulers’.
There were two copper mines in the vicinity: Tamajuri and Tamakhun. Traders carried copper from these mines and transported it to Tamralipta (now known as Tamluk in the district of Purba Medinipur). Tailakampi was a busy port in ancient times and a prosperous city. Most of the temples here were built between 9th-13th century AD. Jainism spread in Purulia during this time. It is believed that a majority of traders who came to Tailakampi were Jains and hence the religion proliferated in this region. Deities of a number of Hindu gods and goddesses have also been unearthed and it is believed followers of both the religions lived in harmony.
But who built these temples at Telkupi? And why so many?
Archaeologist Debala Mitra, former Director General of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), studied these temples in 1959 and published her findings in her book Telkupi: A Submerged Temple-site in West Bengal. Mitra believes that the Rajahs of Panchet and Kashipur, descendants of the Shikhara Kings, had built the temples.
On the other hand, Beglar believes that “the temples here were all built by mahajans and merchants, not by Rajahs, and this confirms my inference that the place, as before suggested, rose to importance as it lay on one of the great traffic lines, and at a principal obstacle, viz, the Damuda (Damodar) river.”
If one goes by Beglar’s and Mitra’s theories, Telkupi was an important port town in medieval times, on the banks of the Damodar River. As centuries passed, the town faded into obscurity and was only rediscovered by the wider world through the reports of travellers who passed by. Through these reports, we can see just how much has been lost in the past century alone.
It was assumed that both the Shaiva and Vaishnava communities built temples here as there are various idols of Shivalinga, Ganesha and Vishnu scattered around. The list also mentions that such a huge cluster of temples like Telkupi is to be found nowhere else in Manbhum district. It adds that the Damodar River is slowly flowing towards the clusters of the temple. One temple after another is crumbling.
In 1957, The Damodar Valley Corporation constructed a dam across the Damodar River near Panchet, 9 miles from Telkupi. The waters started engulfing the site of Telkupi and the local villagers reported the matter to the Archaeological Survey of India and requested it to protect the temples.
Until 1956, Telkupi was in Manbhum district in Bihar. In 1957, the district of Purulia along with Telkupi were transferred to West Bengal vide Bihar and West Bengal (Transfer of Territories Act) 1956. The West Bengal Government also sought the safety of these temples.
Debala Mitra, Director-General of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) at the time, mentions in her book Telkupi: A Submerged Temple-site in West Bengal that “In response to this (request of the West Bengal Government) the Damodar Valley Corporation was requested by the Archaeological Survey either to exclude Telkupi from the area to go under water or to postpone the scheme till a thorough documentation of the site was made. But the information was received towards the end of January 1959 that the temples had already been under water and nothing could be done to save them from submergence”.