NEW DELHI,19 Jan 2026,: Weeks after expelled Trinamul Congress MLA Humayun Kabir laid foundation of a Babri mosque replica in West Bengal’s Murshidabad, construction of a grand Ayodhya-stype “Bengali Ram” themed Ayodhya styled Ram Temple is proposed in Nadia district of the state.
Shri Krittibas Ram Mandir Trust, a registered religious and charitable organisation, is undertaking the construction of the temple.
BJP MLA Arindam Bhattacharya, who is the trust’s president, said the temple construction is not an election project. He said, “Shantipur is the land of the ‘Bhakti’ movement. Krittibas Ojha connected Ram with the emotional landscape of Bengal. The ‘Ram’ 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,” said Bhattacharya.
“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 added.
The temple will be set up on 15 Bighas of land, which has been donated by a local Litan Bhattacharya and Pooja Banerjee. A fund of Rs 100 crore will be used to set up the temple by 2028.
the proposed temple will not only be a religious structure but also an important centre dedicated to Bengal’s cultural heritage – especially the tradition of Krittibas Ojha – the poet who wrote the ‘Shri Ram Panchali’, a Bengali translation of the Sanskrit Ramayana in the 15th century. It is still read with reverence in every Bengali home. With this concept of “Bengali Ram” at the centre, the process of building a grand Ram temple and heritage centre in Shantipur has been accelerated.
TMC leader Jayprakash Majumder hit out at Bhattacharya, calling him a “traitor”. “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 said.
Picture credit social media
