¹Md. Sadequzzaman, ²Sabikunnahar, ³Md. Ali Hossain, ⁴Abdur Rakib, ⁵Marzia Akhter

¹Assistant Professor Department of Archaeology Comilla University, Cumilla-3506
^2,3,4,5Post Graduate in Archaeology Department of Archaeology Comilla University, Cumilla -3506.

DOI : https://doi.org/10.47191/ijsshr/v7-i08-32

Google Scholar Download Pdf
ABSTRACT

Ratna style temple architecture flourished in the Bengal Delta from the mid-17th century to the 19th century. Although there is a clear distinction between the Ratna style temples and the ancient Bengal temples built in the North Indian Nagara and South Indian Dravidian styles, a careful analysis of the architectural structure of the Ratna temples reveals influences from both North and South Indian temple architecture. The incorporation of Indo-Islamic architectural features into Ratna temples, as seen in other contemporary structures like mosques, palaces, and forts, has given this style its uniqueness. This style of temple construction is not found elsewhere in the Indian subcontinent, except in the Bengal region. Among the various Ratna styles, the Pancharatna temple architecture is the most prevalent. The aim of this study is to review the origin and development of the Ratna style temple in Bengal and to provide a brief insight into the amalgamation of various architectural styles in the Pancharatna temples across Bengal by examining the architectural features of the Aranyapur Pancharatna temple in Cumilla. Through field surveys and photographic data analysis, the researcher has identified the architectural characteristics of the Ratna style, including Indo-Islamic and European influences, as well as the indigenous Chala style of Bengal. Additionally, other features of the aforementioned temple, such as its octagonal shape, sanctum sanctorum, arched circumambulatory path, three entrances on three sides, and the curved cornice of the central Ratna, have been compared with those of other Pancharatna temples in Bengal.

KEYWORDS:

Pancharatna, Temple architecture, Bengal Delta, Ratna style, Chala style.

REFERENCES
1) Roy, A. (1999). Banglar Mondir: Sthapatya o Bhaskarja (1st ed.). Indrobhuson Adhikari.

2) Basu, S. (2015). Banglar Teracotta: Akhayan o Alangkaran (1st ed.). Ananda Publishers private Limited.

3) Hosen, M. (2006). Hindhu Jain Buddhist Iconographic Description. Dibby Prokash.

4) Dey, T.K. (2003). Moth-Mondirer Kotha (1st ed.). Faysal Arefin Dipon.

5) Sanyal, A. The Evolution of Temple Architecture in Bengal (Puralokbarta-ISSN 2319-7641).

6) Acharjee, A. (2017). Comparative Study of Nagara and Vesara/Chalukyan style of Temple Architecture. Journal of People’s History and Culture, 2(1-2), p.1-2.

7) Guha, S.& Bandhayopadhyay, A. (2017). Teracotta Temples of Bengal: A Culmination of Pre-existing Architectural Styles. The Chitralekha Journal on Art and Design, 1(1), p.46-48, 56-57. www.chitrolekha.com/ns/v1n1/v1n105.

8) .Sarmin, F.& Tabassum, S. (2012). Archetypal Analysis of Regional-Religious styles for Temple of Dhaka City: Influenced by Indo-Islamic style. International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology, 1(9), p.1-5.

9) Mangaonkar, P. (2012). Temples of Bengal: Material Style and Technological Evolution. Chitrolekha International Magazine on Art and Design, 2(1), p.5-8. www.chitrolekha.com/v2n1

10) Bilimoria, p. Temple Architecture a Brief Overview and Its Symbolism. a. https://www.indian.heritage.org/temple/symbolism-purushottama

11) Vardia, s. (2008). Building Science of Indian Temple Architecture. Master’s Thesis, Universidade do Minho.

12) Akter, N.(2015, March 3). Mondir Sthapatya. Banglapedia.
a. https://bn.banglapedia.org/index.php/%E0%A6%AE%E0%A6%A8%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%A6%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%B0
_%E0%A6%B8%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%A5%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%AA%E0%A6%A4%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%AF.

Volume 07 Issue 08 August 2024