The first thing that comes to our mind while talking about Malda is mangoes and the ancient kingdom of Gour.  The Jahura Temple on the outskirts of the town is one of the most sacred temples of Malda. Situated a few kilometers away from the main town of Malda, the temple is almost a century old. But the most captivating thing about this temple is its surroundings. Standing amidst the mango orchards, the place speaks of serenity and calm. You are bound to feel peaceful once you are at the temple.

Jahura Temple, Malda

Just as we left the precincts of the busy Malda town, we saw large mango orchards on both sides of the road. The mango trees reminded us of the king of fruits – the mangoes. But let me give you a warning, the condition of roads are extremely poor. The village looks prosperous, but the roads are pathetic. There are a couple of signboards of West Bengal tourism of the Jahura Temple, but those too are in a dilapidated state. Seems like the state tourism is not quite aware of the poor state of the roads here.

The serene surroundings

The mighty Banyan

Twenty minutes of scooter drive through the terrible village roads and we saw the temple standing in the middle of the mango orchards. The temple looks like any other traditional temple of Bengal. The entire place was a kingdom of silence. But this place is generally filled with life and buzz on Tuesdays and Saturdays, especially in the Bengali month of Baisakh (usually mid April to mid May). The temple remains open for devotees only on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

Jahura Temple, Malda

Jahura Temple is almost 100 years old. The idol of the Jahura Goddess is also quite different and unique. The Goddess is represented here by only Her red face and protruding tongue. Neck and the rest of the body are not there. It is said that devotee Hiraram Tewari built the temple after he received a command from the Goddess in his dream. There is also an alternative saying that devotee Chhal Tewari had started offering prayer to the Goddess first on the 4^th day of Baisakh. So the month of Baisakh is quite important here and people from all over Bengal come here to offer prayers. Bangladesh is only about 2 km from this place. it is said that earlier people from Bangladesh also used to come here to offer prayers to the Goddess.

The sacrifice alter at Jahura Temple, Malda

Jahuratala Temple is a part of the history of Bengal. Though the temple is maintained quite well by the descendants of the Tewari family, but the surroundings are quite neglected. If the roads are maintained well, this can become an important tourist spot of Malda.