Bhavaniswar Mandir, Baranagar

The Bhavaniswar Mandir stands at Baranagar in the Murshidabad-Jiaganj block of Murshidabad district. Tarasundari, a daughter of Rani Bhabani, built it in 1755, and at 18 m no other lime-and-mortar temple in Baranagar is taller. The iconography researcher Shyamal Chaterji singles out its dome, shaped like an inverted lotus, and the circular corridor around the inner sanctum, and praises the floral motifs on the sanctum's outer wall.

Rani Bhabani (1716–1795), married to Raja Ramakanta, the Natore zamindar, in what is now Bangladesh, was widowed at 32 and went on to manage her estates and become known for her charity. She is said to have wanted to build 108 temples at Baranagar, beside the Ganges, to raise its standing to that of Varanasi, but stopped at 107; only a few remain in good condition. The temple is an ASI-listed monument.