The Char Bangla Temples of Murshidabad, West Bengal

 

The "Char Bangla" temples in the Murshidabad district of West Bengal were built by Queen Bhavani of Natore in 1755 CE. Each of the four terracotta temples were built in the style of the traditional village huts of Bengal with two sloping roofs, called "Do-Chala" or "Ek Bangla" temples.

Each of the temples have three arched openings and 3 Shiva-lingas. Their facades are ornamented with terracotta panels, depicting scenes from the daily life and and Puranic legends.  

When the temples were built nearly 250 years ago, the Ganges (Bhagirathi) used to flow nearly a kilometer away. But today the temple is barely 10 feet away from the river bank, and its boundary wall has already been damaged by the river.

Getting to the temples is half the fun. Since they are located in Baranagar, on the other bank of the Ganges from Murshidabad, we took a ride on a country boat from the Azimganj sadar ghat for a 25 mins trip upstream. A road journey would have taken considerably longer, and certainly less enjoyable.

The journey by a country boat to the temple complex

The temples are located right on the river bank

Lord Shiva seated on a pedestal, engraved on the side wall of one of the temples

This temple has the richest terracotta ornamentation

The battle between Rama, seated on the shoulders of Hanuman, and the ten-headed Ravana, depicted above the entrance arch

This is probably the goddess Ganga reclining on a makara - a water dragon responsible for rainfall.

A mythical battle with a centaur. In Indian legends, centaurs were called gandharvas, who were part-human and part-horse (or part-monkey)

Goddess Kali

Goddess Durga

Scenes of battle

The other temples, arranged around a square courtyard. This temple has stucco ornamentation, instead of terracotta plaques.

This unusual looking temple is located just outside the Char Bangla temple complex. Its called the Bhavaniswar Temple. The dome is shaped like an inverted lotus.

Lord Krishna dancing on the hoods of Kaliya, the serpent.

Our country boat is parked on the river bank.

The return journey