Tag: regional cultures

Bengal also witnessed a temple-building spree from the late fifteenth century, which culminated in the nineteenth century. Temples and other religious structures were often built by individuals or groups who were becoming powerful to both demonstrate their power and proclaim their piety. Many of the modest brick and terracotta temples in Bengal were built with the support of several low social groups, such as the Kolu (oil pressers) and the Kansari (bell metal workers). With the coming of the European trading companies, their socio-economic conditions improved. As their social and economic position improved, they proclaimed their status through the construction of temples.

From the 16th century onwards, when local deities, once worshipped in thatched huts in villages, gained the recognition of the Brahmanas, their images began to be housed in temples. The temples began to copy the double-roofed (dochala) or four-roofed (chauchala) structure of the thatched huts.  This led to the evolution of the typical Bengali style in temple architecture.