Char-chala Temples

Features and Origins

In this type of temple, four triangular roofs meet at a point, with the ridges of each chala and also of the cornices curved. The char-chala style is rare except in the districts of Birbhum, Murshidabad, and Nadia. In Nadia it seems to have been the preferred style of the Nadia rajas. Most char-chala temples are relatively small and have a single entrance. Char-chala temples with triple-arched entrance are exceedingly rare.

Examples

A well-preserved example of the char-chala temple is the ornate Raghavesvara temple at Diknagar in Nadia. Other examples in Nadia are the Jalesvara temple at Santipur and the temples at Palpara and Sibnibas. The patrons of the several temples at Maluti (now in Jharkhand) also seem to have favoured this style. Other notable examples of the char-chala style are the Raghunatha temple at Ghurisa in Birbhum, and the very ornate Govinda temple in Puthia in Bangldesh (a rare example of a char-chala temple with a triple-arched entrance).