Origin of the Temple
The following briefly outlines the history of the Manasha Temple at Haridevpur which spans nearly four generations of the Das family.
Inception
The initial foundations of the temple was laid when Ranajit Das and his father, Upendra Nath Das, emigrated to Kolkata from Bangladesh during the Partition. They carried with them soil from the old temple in Bangladesh and established a small family temple for Ma Manasha.
Formal Establishment
Ranajit Das and his wife, Kamala Rani Das formally established the temple in its current form and started the regular Poojas
Divine Medicine
Ranajit Das received the directions for the divine faith medicine for Piles. It was distributed freely to one and all who came free of charge. This tradition has carried onto this day and the faith medicine is freely distributed on Sundays after the Pooja.
Expansion
With the increase in devotees, the temple was expanded by Kamala Rani Das. A formal "Nat Mandir" was created and the main bronze statue of Ma Manasha was established during this time.
Divine Medicine for Asthma
After Ranajit Das, the temple was run under the patronage of his son, Biswajit Das and his wife, Pranati Das. Biswajit Das received a Divine Medicine for Asthma which, keeping with tradition, was distributed free of charge to all. After Kamal Rani Das departed for Kashi, the day to day operations of the temple were handled by Pranati Das. She was instrumental in spreading Jai Ma's words among devotees and improved the Mandir through relentless service to the temple. During this time the temple was further improved and modernized to increase comfort and safety of staff and devotees.
Present Day
The temple is currently run under the patronage of Abir Das and devotees after the passing of Biswajit Das. The temple is regularly open for devotees and distributes Prasad every Sunday along with the Divine Faith medicine. There is an Annual Festival held every year to celebrate the Manasha Puja. The temple had also regularly distributes clothes and essentials to the needy and runs a charitable arm in Sunderbans.
