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The Shri Krittibas Ram Mandir Trust is reportedly undertaking the construction of the temple in West Bengal’s Nadia district, dedicated to the Bengali cultural heritage.
The construction of a Bengali Ram Temple has been proposed in West Bengal. (PTI/Representative Image)
The construction of a grand Ayodhya-style ‘Bengali Ram’ temple in West Bengal’s Nadia district has been proposed, adding a communal dimension in the state’s politics after suspended Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Humayun Kabir laid the foundation for a Babri-themed mosque in Murshidabad.
Officials told NDTV that the proposed temple will now be a religious structure but also an important centre dedicated to Bengal’s cultural heritage. It will be particularly dedicated to Krittibas Ojha, the poet who wrote the ‘Shri Ram Panchali’, the 15th-century translation of the Sanskrit Ramayana.
Last month, posters appeared across Salt Lake announcing plans for an Ayodhya-style Ram temple complex on the metropolis’s eastern fringes, promising a school, hospital, old-age home and other welfare facilities. The posters were attributed to local BJP leader and former local unit president Sanjay Poyra.
At the time, Poyra described the initiative as a social-spiritual movement rooted in ‘Ram Rajya’. “Ram’s kingdom must have Ram’s temple. A Ram temple will come up in Bidhannagar- just like the one in Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh,” he said.
The Shri Krittibas Ram Mandir Trust, a registered religious and charitable organisation, is reportedly undertaking the construction of the temple. Members of the trust conducted a final survey to measure the land for the temple’s construction on Sunday, marking the beginning of the project.
Officials said the project has been on the works since 2017. The structure will be set up in 15 bighas of land donated by locals Litan Bhattacharya and Pooja Banerjee. A fund of Rs 100 crore will be used to set up the temple by 2028.
‘Not Associated With Politics’
Meanwhile, BJP MLA Arindam Bhattacharya, the president of the trust, told NDTV, “Shantipur is the land of the ‘Bhakti’ movement. Krittibas Ojha connected Ram with the emotional landscape of Bengal. The ‘Rama’ he envisioned was very close to Bengali culture. That is why he is also called ‘Hara Ram.’ We have been working on this project since 2017.”
He denied that the construction of the temple was associated with politics. “The temple will be built in two to three years. There is nothing political associated with it. But we will welcome everyone, including the government, to help us with the project. We welcome all to contribute and to give suggestions,” he said.
Meanwhile, TMC leader Jayprakash Majumder hit back at Bhattacharya’s remarks over the temple. “Arindam Bhattacharya is not the right person. He was with our party. His new project to set up a Ram temple could be another attempt to loot money. BJP can never accept Krittibas Ojha’s ‘Bengali Ram’,” he was quoted as saying.
January 19, 2026, 18:27 IST
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