Terracotta Temples of Bengal: A Culmination of Pre-existing Architectural Styles

Sudeshna Guha¹ & Dr. Abir Bandyopadhyay²

¹B. Arch Student, National Institute of Technology Raipur, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India. Email: sudeshnaguha94@gmail.com

²Professor, Department of Architecture, National Institute of Technology Raipur, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India. Email: abandyopadhyay.arch@nitrr.ac.in

Volume 1, Number 1, 2017 I Full Text PDF

DOI: 10.21659/cjad.v1n1.v1n105

ABSTRACT

Three major developments in religious architecture were seen in three different eras of Bengal’s history – evolution of Nagara style temples which were influenced by the Orissan Rekha deuls, followed by the developments of Islamic Architecture through mosques and tombs, and lastly, the generation of Terracotta Temples. The Terracotta Temples of Bengal, famous for the use of Terracotta Plaques for surface decoration, had developed a unique style of architecture, quite distinct from the major styles of temple architecture that was prevailing in India. This paper intends to find out which architectural features of the Terracotta Temples got influenced and how they got influenced from the prevailing architectural styles.

 Keywords: Terracotta Temples, influence, architectural features, Islamic architecture, Pre-Islamic architecture.