Maluti Temples

Maluti, a village near Shikaripara in Dumka district, Jharkhand, close to the West Bengal border, holds 72 surviving terracotta temples of an original 108. They are dated to the 17th–19th centuries by the ITRHD, a rural heritage trust. The kingdom is said to have been granted tax-free to a Brahmin, Basanta, by Sultan Alauddin Husain Shah of Gaur for rescuing his hawk, and Basanta and his descendants, the Baj Basanta kings, chose to build temples rather than palaces, inspired by their family goddess Mowlakshi.

Most were dedicated to Shiva; others honour Kali, Durga, Vishnu and Manasa Devi, and the Mowlakshi temple draws worshippers all year. Built by Bengal artisans in Bengal styles, many follow the cara-cala design, a square chamber whose corbelled cornices give a hut-like roof, and their terracotta panels show scenes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata, Durga fighting Mahishasura and village life. Many are semi-ruined; the Global Heritage Fund has listed the site among the world's most endangered. Rampurhat station is 16 km away and Dumka 55 km.