‘Tamralipta’, The Saga of Exquisite Old Town
Your glory may have lost in years under the piles of new excavations but the broken walls of Rajbari and other historical germaneness whispers your yesteryear grandiosity.
Tamralipta, the bygone name of Tamluk, situated on the sacred bank of River Rupnarayan. The beautiful town of West Bengal is the district headquarter of Purba Medinipur district. It has historical relevance, the traces of it can be found in Mahabharata and in Jain literature.
The enigmatic place is 90km from Kolkata- it is broadly connected with roadways, railways and waterways. The local train journey is pretty intriguing; the train passes through the green gush of fields and long rectangular-shaped ponds full of white lilies on both sides of the railway track, captivating the eyes of onlookers. I first visited the place in the month of April 2015, though it was quite sweltering but the scenic beauty made my journey incredibly fascinating.
History
The history of Tamralipta dates back to the 3rd century BC when it was the trade and commerce hub of the Indian subcontinent. During that time, it used to be one of the most important ports like its contemporaries- Lothal, Sopara, Baroach and Muziris (old trading ports). The Rupnarayan River was the main source of conveyance to the ships sailed along the coast. Tamralipta was one of the major ports of the Kalinga and Mauryan empire.
‘Tamralipta’ is a Sanskrit word in which Tamra means copper and lipta means coated. Thus, it means ‘coated with copper’. As the name itself speaks its age-old connection with copper, majorly the copper was traded from the port. The red metal was mined from Singhbhum district of Bihar and exported to the world from this port.
Trade link of the port was with ports of Arabian Sea, Myanmar, Malaya, China, Sri Lanka and some parts of the African continent. Basically, copper, indigo, silk and other essential commodities were shipped from this port.
The place not only has trade prominence, but it also has religious relevance too. Tamralipta was the doorway for many pilgrims, travellers and missionaries. Fa-Hien, Hien Tsang, Itsing and many others came to India through this passage. The Buddhist monks, for spreading the teaching of Buddha to the world, took this route. Sanghmitra and Mahendra, children of Ashoka, went to Ceylon to preach Buddhism from this gateway.
Our religious book Mahabharata, Jain Literature and Buddhist Literature give the substantiation of Tamralipta. Sri Lankan epic Mahavamsa and the book Natural History by Roman traveller also gives evidence of Tamralipta.
Archaeological Survey of India excavated the place during 1954–55 and found Roman amphorae, Greco- Roman gold coins and few other things. At present, all those findings are kept in Tamluk museum.
Transport
- Railways — ‘Tamralipti’ is the only Express train which will take you to Tamluk from Howrah station. Passenger trains and other local trains are alternative sources from Howrah to reach the destination.
- Roadways — Easy bus services can be avail from Dharmatala Bus stop or one can take Ola, uber, other services to reach the place. This is the fastest mode of transportation.
- Waterways — One can also avail the Steamer service from Hoogly fairy ghat. However, this is quite a time taking but believe me the journey is very enthralling.
Sightseeing
The best time to visit Tamluk is October, November and December
- Picnic spot- The beguiling bank of Rupnaryan River [Wiki] is the most likeable picnic spot of natives. Occasionally, they visit this spot with their families and friends to witness the scenic beauty of this place. The river is well known for its tides and falls.
2. Tamluk Rajbari- Tamluk has two palaces- one palace is ruined and another one is turned into a museum.
3. Devi Bargbhima Temple- It is believed that the left ankle of Ma Sati fell here, it is one of the shaktipeeth among 51 shakti peethas. The temple was built by the King of Mayor dynasty.
4. Archeological Museum- Many antique articles found during the excavation were kept in this museum.
5. Rakhit Bati- During the independence era freedom fighters had made many secret centres for privacy. Anusiln Samiti and Gupta Samiti were among those centres made in this building.
6. Geonkhali- It is the enigmatic place where Rupnarayn River unites with Ganges (Hooghly river).
7. Digha- Digha is a beach, located on the coast of Bay of Bengal is very near Tamluk. It takes hardly 2 hours from the train and an hour from roadways to reach the beach.
8. Tamluk Railway Station- Last but not least, I must say Tamluk station is one of the most beautiful and cleanest railway stations of India.
The downfall of Tamralipta port is not known, many historians believe that in the 7th century due to suburban settlements near the port area the harbour lost its significance. Others assumed that, as the river changed its course the port lost its importance. After the 8th century hardly any whereabout of the place can be found in any ancient literature or texts.
Though, the eminence of Tamralipta faded by the time and the great history of it bounded within the four walls of libraries and museum, we the writer through our writings will reach the minds of the reader and narrate the saga of its glory and make it alive again.
