GAURIPUR, Aug 4 - Due to the lack of infrastructure development of Shri Shri Paglababa dham situated at Madargola along the present Guru Tegh Bahadur Road (earlier Dhubri-Kachugaon Road) six km away from Gauripur and established 70 years ago, the devotees are facing a lot of problems.
Though there is no written document of the history of establishment of the temple, it is said that some labourers coming from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh were working in a brick kiln owned by the founder of Town Store of Dhubri town. Some people of the locality constructed a thatched house to sell country-made liquor and used to drink liquor in the evening. They were in the habit of lighting earthen lamps below a banyan tree standing beside the road. That was virtually the beginning of the temple.
The owner of the brick kiln shut down the production of the bricks and the labourers left the place for ever. The place where the banyan tree stands is an isolated place and there was no human habitation. People going to Dhubri town through this route began to believe that there might be the abode of some unseen but powerful and active supernatural force as frequent accidents took place in that area and lives of several people were endangered and there were reports of accidental deaths in that particular place.
Considering the gravity of the situation, the owner of Joy Travels, Late Kartick Chandra Saha of Gauripur built a shivalinga below the tree and constructed the surrounding walls with a wooden gate. From that time onwards, people began to worship Lord Shiva. A managing committee was also formed and the committee constructed a thatched house for a sadhu to look after the daily rituals. But that house was burned down by miscreants in 1992 and daily rituals came to a halt.
With the help of donation of the devotees and a small amount received from the district authority, the managing committee built a small temple and installed an image of Lord Shiva made of marble and an altar for installation of a �trishul� and that was ceremoniously opened by the DC on February 24 last.
As time passed, people of all communities began to attend the temple and the number of devotees has gradually been increasing day by day. Shivaratri is observed every year with a two-three day programme. Various cultural events are also organised in the temporary set-up. In the month of Sravana, thousands and thousands of devotees throng the place to pay obscience to Lord Shiva but they have had to bear the hot sun and the pouring rain.
There is not a place to take shelter during the time of rainy season. There is abundant khas land nearby the adjacent Dahar Beel. The devotees have urged the Government to construct an auditorium and a rest house nearby to meet the needs of the devotees coming from various places of the district and North Bengal so that they can take part in the yearly festivals without any hassles.
