The monumental, Anandadham, popularly called Andul Rajbari, with its vast open ground in front and large arched gates is visible from a distance. The road leading to the building has somewhat narrowed because of the innumerable shops and establishments that have come up on all sides. One is likely to miss the entrance to the Annapurna temple, next to the Rajbari, unless one notices the old, decrepit nahabatkhana above the entrance gate. 

The entrance leads to a huge open courtyard covered on both sides with Shiva temples and the sanctum sanctorum of Annapurna in front. An old canon, that does not fire, greets visitors entering the temple premises. Mothers with their little ones come in the evenings to chat with friends, sitting on the steps of the temple, while children play about in the courtyard. The temple premises make a good place for adda on days when there are no festivities. The doors to the sanctum sanctorum open in the afternoon when the purohit  arranges flowers and offerings for the deity. The temple is dilapidated in many places. The old plaster has worn off in many parts of the wall. Of the 14 Shiva temples, the walls of a few temples have recently been repaired. 

The idol of Annapurna, seated on a brass throne and Shiva standing next to her and begging for alms, are made of concrete. These were made after the original astadhatu (alloy of eight metals) figure was stolen from this temple, 35 years ago. “Both the Shiva and Annapurna idols were made of astadhatu, but the thieves manage to flee with Annapurna alone. We removed the Shiva idol from here and replaced both with these concrete ones,” said Arunava Mitra, a member of the Andul Raj family, whose predecessor, Rajnarayan Roy had established the temple in 1845. 
Rajnarayan Roy’s mother was a devotee of Annapurna and would often travel to  Varanasi to visit the Annapurna temple there. However, as she grew old, she could not travel any more and her husband, Kashinath Roy, decided to build an Annapurna temple at Andul itself.  However, he could not fulfil his wife’s wish. Kashinath died, leaving the responsibility on the shoulders of his son, Rajnarayan Roy. Along with  Annapurna, the temple includes 14 Shiva temples. Traditionally, the members of Andul Raj family were devotees of Shiva. 

“There were many Shiva temples and Shivalingas installed at various places that belonged to the Andul Raj family. The palace was surrounded by several Shiva temples at one time. That is why these 14 Shivalingas were also installed with the Annapurna  temple,” said Arunava. The temple is run by the Andul Raj Debuttor Estate, which includes a number of shops in the locality and also in the nearby market. “We have tried to repair small portions of the main temple and the outer walls of some of the Shiva temples from the temple’s income which is meagre,” said Amitabh Mitra, the receiver of the debuttor estate. 

The West Bengal government’s tourism department has recently shown interest in turning the Andul Rajbari into a tourist destination. “We had had talks with the tourism department about the restoration work which will start soon. We have also requested them to restore the Annapurna temple, as this is also a heritage structure. They are yet to respond on the matter,” said Mitra. 

Apart from the structure, the canon that now lies defunct is also a valuable object. “The canon was used to signify many religious rituals in our family. Durga Puja bodhon, for example, would be held at our thakurdalan 15 days before Maha Navami. The canon would be fired at the time of bodhon to announce the beginning of the rituals. The canon was again fired once when the bali (animal sacrifice) ritual would take place on Saptami and Ashtami and twice when a buffalo would be sacrificed on Navami. Sandhi puja was also announced with firing. It would again be fired when the idol would be immersed on Dashami,” said Arunava. However, the canon-firing ritual was done away with after an accident took place in Burdwan in a similar ritual. “Also the population in this area has increased manifold over the years. There is no place to fire a canon,” said Arunava. 

Chaitra Sankranti is the foundation day of the temple and a few days before that is the Annapurna puja. A celebration is held every year at the temple for the foundation day. “We invite 12 Brahmins, who are fed a meal in the afternoon. Devotees come to offer prayers and for the past eight years, we have been arranging an annakoot utsav at the temple on that day. My uncle Pranab Kumar Mitra and I, started the annakoot utsav,” said Mitra. Annapurna puja, is also observed at the temple.

 FACTFILE

• Name: Anandadham or Andul Rajbari
• Temple of Annapurna and Shiva 
• Estd: 1845
• Foundation Day: Chaitra Sankranti
• Main Puja: Annpurna Puja