The small-small terracotta temples,

Temples of Chandrakona,

You break them not,

Lying abandoned and neglected

And ignored

Somewhere with the statues,

Somewhere without,

The old-old temples of Chandrakona

Of King Chandraketu of yore,

O, break you not the history and heritage

Of Old Chandrakona,

Lying buried deep

Into the earth of history,

Art and tradition,

Archaeology, art and architecture

And above all, the terracotta plates

With the sculptures

On the entrance

And the sculpted gate-keepers

Telling of the heyday of their making.

The small-small temples of Chandrakona,

Centuries old and made from lime clay and small bricks,

The town full of temples,

Almost at every step

There lies a mouldering heap

Of the fallen temples

And the debris of it,

Dilapidated and forgotten

And many in the course of decaying

Seeking renovation,

Need to be resurrected,

The old-old temples of Chandrakona

Telling of a trend and tradition

Of art and architecture,

The Shiva temples,

The Manasa-Shitala temples,

The Ram-Sita temples,

The Bhagabati temples

So many in number

Almost crowding the space,

Dotting the area.

                                                                  ~Bijay Kant Dubey

                                                                  Medinipur, India