Photo 1002/1(1)

Genre: Architectural Photography

View of the temple shikara.

Described in 'List of Ancient Monuments in Bengal. Revised and corrected up to 31st August 1895' (Calcutta, 1896), pp. 16-18:

'The finest brick temple in the district of Bankura, and the finest, though not the largest, brick temple is the one at Bahulara, on the right bank of the Darikesvara river, 12 miles from Bankura; the temple is of brick plastered; the ornamentation is carefully cut in the brick, and the plaster made to correspond to it. It is carved and moulded with plaster ornamentation in relief after the style of modern Bengal architecture. There are, however, ornaments on the plaster also, but none inconsistent with the brick ornamentation below. Hence it is concluded that the plaster formed a part of the original design; the mouldings of the basement are, to a great extent, gone; but from fragments here and there that exist a close approximation can be made to what it was: some portions are, however, not recoverable.

The present entrance is not the original old one, but is a modern accretion, behind which the real old doorway, with its tall triangular opening of overlapping courses, is hidden. This old opening is still to be seen internally; it consists of a rectangular opening, 41 courses of bricks in height, over which rise the triangular portion in a series of corbels, each five courses in depth; the width of the opening is 4 feet 10 inches; there is no dividing sill, and from the façade of the temple it is evident that the cell with its attached portico in the thickness of the wall itself stood alone without any adjuncts in front; there are, however, the remains of a mahamandapa, which was added on in recent times, but it is widely different in construction and in material to the old temple, and is probably not so old as the British rule in India.

The temple had subordinate temples disposed round it in the usual manner; there were seven round the three sides and four corners, and one in front, the last being most probably a temple to Nandi, the servant of Siva; the whole group was enclosed within a square brick enclosure; subordinate temples and walls are equally in ruins now, forming isolated and long mounds respectively.

See also J. D. Beglar, 'Report of a tour through the Bengal provinces...' (A.S.I. Vol. VIII, Calcutta, 1878), pp. 202-03 (from which much of the above description is taken.