debi chaudhurini Mandir (1)

A few places in North Bengal beatifically captivate everyone with their eternal
aura of myth, history and mystery. The temples of Devi Chaudhurani
and Bhavani Pathak are not apart from the class. To residents of Jalpaiguri,
the characters of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay’s legendary novel
‘Devi Chaudhurani’ are not mere fictional, but they rather consider them as historical personalities who not only appeared in Bankim Chandra’s novel but had their footsteps in the real world too. In different areas of Jalpaiguri district, Devi Chaudhurani is still commemorated in the form of Temple names like Devi Chaudhurani Kali Mandir near Goshala More near the Jalpaiguri town; Bhavani Pathak Temple at Shikarpur Tea Garden near Sanyasikata market; and Manthani Temple on the Belacoba-Randhamali road.

According to myth, Devi Chaudhurani, who was previously known as Prafulla,
was the queen of Manthana Estate of Rangpur district (presently in Bangladesh). When her husband abandoned her, she took shelter at the house of Bhavani Pathak, who was the leader of a gang of dacoits, and vanguard of the Sanyasi Movement in Rangpur. Subsequently, Devi Chaudhurani joined the gang and ensconced herself as the bandit queen of Baikunthapur. She was a generous and magnanimous landlady who used to donate money and wealth to the peasants. Legend has it that she used to travel in her bazra (large and luxurious boat) through the rivers of the Teesta and Karala, wandering from Rangpur to Baikunthapur (presently in Jalpaiguri district). Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay scripted his legendary novel ‘Devi Chaudhurani,’
which was published in 1884, by immortalizing the characters of Devi Chaudhurani and Bhavani Pathak in the soul of Bengali literature enthusiasts.
According to "The Statesman".