Entrance to brick temple, east of the village, known as the Durga Temple, Para, Manbhum District - 1872
Photo of the brick temple, east of the village of Para, known as the Durga Temple taken by Joseph David Beglar between 1872 and 1873.
At that time Beglar wrote the following account of this temple, "the bricks used measure more than 17 inches long by over 11 inches in width, and are all set in mudso minutely was the carving done, that a space 1 inch square shows sculptured two tiny bells, their ropes, and the twist of the several strands of the ropes clearly made out." The temple stands on a high plinth which was added to stop the structure from falling down. This fate has already befallen the mandapa, of which very little remains. At one point the interior of the temple was plastered however little of this remained when Beglar visited. "The entrance to the lower portion now existing is, as usual, cut up into two portions, - a lower rectangular doorway proper, and an upper pentagonal illuminating window, by a stone door frame inserted in the opening; the upper portion, when it begins narrowing, does so by the usual expedient of overlapping courses; there is no trace of any arching whatever." J.D. Beglar, Report of a tour through the Bengal Provinces...in 1872-73 (A.S.I. vol. VIII, Calcutta, 1878), pp. 164-5
Temple at Ekteswar, Bankura District - Bengal - 1872
Photo of the temple at Ektweswar, Bankura district taken by J.D. Beglar in 1872. "Two miles south-east of Bankura, on the left bank of the Darikeswara River, is the small village and temple of Ekteswar; the temple is remarkable in its way; the mouldings of the basement are the boldest and finest of any I have seen, though quite plain; the temple was built of laterite, but has had sandstone and brick additions made to it since..." Bengal list, pp. 20-21; J.D. Beglar, Report of a tour through the Bengal provinces... (A.S.I. Vol. VIII, Calcutta, 1878), pp. 200 The parts of the temple that can be seen in this photograph are the result of alterations which bear little resemblance to the original temple's design. The temple is dedicated to Shiva and inside the shrine, a large linga is supposed to have thrust it's way up through the ground.
Siddheshvara Temple, Barakar, Burdwan District - Bengal - 1872
Photo of temple no.5 (Siddheshvara Temple) at Barakar, Burdwan district taken by J.D.Beglar in 1872-73. Beglar wrote, "Barakarcontains several very interesting ancient remains, in excellent preservation". Temple number 5, "...consists of a cell and an antarala, or vestibule. It does not appear to have ever had a mahamandapa in front. The object of worship is a lingam, placed in a great argha, 4 feet 7 inches in diameter. Besides this there are lying, in and out, statues and fragments, among which may be reckoned, Ganeca, a 4-armed female, a 4-armed male holding a sword and a trident in two hands, and some nondescript fragments."
J.D. Beglar, Report of a tour through the Bengal Provinces...in 1872-73 (A.S.I. vol. VIII, Calcutta, 1878), p. 151-3 The temple was built in the ninth century however the adjacentmandapa is a modern addition.
Temple at Chinpur, Bankura District - Bengal 1872
Photo of the temple at Chinpur, Bankura district in Bengal taken by J.D.Beglar in 1872.
Joseph David Beglar embarked on a tour of Bengal in 1872 , visiting a large number of sites of historical interest and documenting them thoroughly. He travelled 4500 miles between 1872 and 1873 examining sites in districts such as Bankura, Patna, Birbhum and Gaya to name just a few. The picture shows the Chinpur temple's shikara (tower) in a dilapidated state. Bengal list, pp. 16-17; J.D. Beglar, Report of a tour through the Bengal provinces... (A.S.I. Vol. VIII, Calcutta, 1878), pp. 203: "a solitary laterite temple, but of no ancient date." Laterite is a red clay soil which would have been used to make the bricks which formed the Shikara.
Source: British Library Website
Stone temple - east of the village of Para, Manbhum District - 1872
Photo of the stone temple east of the village of Para. This photograph is taken by Joseph David Beglar in 1872-73.
"The stone temple was once a large and complete temple; traces of the foundations of the mahamandapa can still be seen , but only the tower portion containing the sanctum is standing now; this portion was once profusely ornamented with mouldings and sculpture, but the weather has worn away the stone (a very soft sandstone) so much, that the correct outline of themouldings can nowhere be made out." J.D. Beglar, Report of a tour through the Bengal Provinces...in 1872-73 (A.S.I. vol. VIII, Calcutta, 1878), pp. 163. The top part of the temple is built differently to the lower part; it is fashioned from a coarser stone and is more plainly cut perhaps representing a later repair of the temple. The temple houses an image of Laxmi hewn from a black stone.
Photo of the brick temple, east of the village of Para, known as the Durga Temple taken by Joseph David Beglar between 1872 and 1873.
At that time Beglar wrote the following account of this temple, "the bricks used measure more than 17 inches long by over 11 inches in width, and are all set in mudso minutely was the carving done, that a space 1 inch square shows sculptured two tiny bells, their ropes, and the twist of the several strands of the ropes clearly made out." The temple stands on a high plinth which was added to stop the structure from falling down. This fate has already befallen the mandapa, of which very little remains. At one point the interior of the temple was plastered however little of this remained when Beglar visited. "The entrance to the lower portion now existing is, as usual, cut up into two portions, - a lower rectangular doorway proper, and an upper pentagonal illuminating window, by a stone door frame inserted in the opening; the upper portion, when it begins narrowing, does so by the usual expedient of overlapping courses; there is no trace of any arching whatever." J.D. Beglar, Report of a tour through the Bengal Provinces...in 1872-73 (A.S.I. vol. VIII, Calcutta, 1878), pp. 164-5
Temple at Ekteswar, Bankura District - Bengal - 1872
Photo of the temple at Ektweswar, Bankura district taken by J.D. Beglar in 1872. "Two miles south-east of Bankura, on the left bank of the Darikeswara River, is the small village and temple of Ekteswar; the temple is remarkable in its way; the mouldings of the basement are the boldest and finest of any I have seen, though quite plain; the temple was built of laterite, but has had sandstone and brick additions made to it since..." Bengal list, pp. 20-21; J.D. Beglar, Report of a tour through the Bengal provinces... (A.S.I. Vol. VIII, Calcutta, 1878), pp. 200 The parts of the temple that can be seen in this photograph are the result of alterations which bear little resemblance to the original temple's design. The temple is dedicated to Shiva and inside the shrine, a large linga is supposed to have thrust it's way up through the ground.
Siddheshvara Temple, Barakar, Burdwan District - Bengal - 1872
Photo of temple no.5 (Siddheshvara Temple) at Barakar, Burdwan district taken by J.D.Beglar in 1872-73. Beglar wrote, "Barakarcontains several very interesting ancient remains, in excellent preservation". Temple number 5, "...consists of a cell and an antarala, or vestibule. It does not appear to have ever had a mahamandapa in front. The object of worship is a lingam, placed in a great argha, 4 feet 7 inches in diameter. Besides this there are lying, in and out, statues and fragments, among which may be reckoned, Ganeca, a 4-armed female, a 4-armed male holding a sword and a trident in two hands, and some nondescript fragments."
J.D. Beglar, Report of a tour through the Bengal Provinces...in 1872-73 (A.S.I. vol. VIII, Calcutta, 1878), p. 151-3 The temple was built in the ninth century however the adjacentmandapa is a modern addition.
Temple at Chinpur, Bankura District - Bengal 1872
Photo of the temple at Chinpur, Bankura district in Bengal taken by J.D.Beglar in 1872.
Joseph David Beglar embarked on a tour of Bengal in 1872 , visiting a large number of sites of historical interest and documenting them thoroughly. He travelled 4500 miles between 1872 and 1873 examining sites in districts such as Bankura, Patna, Birbhum and Gaya to name just a few. The picture shows the Chinpur temple's shikara (tower) in a dilapidated state. Bengal list, pp. 16-17; J.D. Beglar, Report of a tour through the Bengal provinces... (A.S.I. Vol. VIII, Calcutta, 1878), pp. 203: "a solitary laterite temple, but of no ancient date." Laterite is a red clay soil which would have been used to make the bricks which formed the Shikara.
Source: British Library Website
Stone temple - east of the village of Para, Manbhum District - 1872
Photo of the stone temple east of the village of Para. This photograph is taken by Joseph David Beglar in 1872-73.
"The stone temple was once a large and complete temple; traces of the foundations of the mahamandapa can still be seen , but only the tower portion containing the sanctum is standing now; this portion was once profusely ornamented with mouldings and sculpture, but the weather has worn away the stone (a very soft sandstone) so much, that the correct outline of themouldings can nowhere be made out." J.D. Beglar, Report of a tour through the Bengal Provinces...in 1872-73 (A.S.I. vol. VIII, Calcutta, 1878), pp. 163. The top part of the temple is built differently to the lower part; it is fashioned from a coarser stone and is more plainly cut perhaps representing a later repair of the temple. The temple houses an image of Laxmi hewn from a black stone.
