Puthia Temple Complex

Puthia holds the largest group of historic Hindu temples in Bangladesh, built by the ranis and rajas of the Puthia estate mainly in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, arranged around the rajbari, a market square and a set of tanks. The Govinda temple is the masterpiece, covered in terracotta panels of the Krishna cycle; the Shiva temple by the water is a five-spired pancharatna in the north Indian manner, unusual for Bengal; the Jagannath temple is a perfect small example of the hut-shaped do-chala form; and a dozen more stand around them in varying condition. The rajbari itself is a columned mansion of 1895. The whole ensemble can be walked in a morning.

What you actually see

• The Govinda temple terracotta - Krishna panels covering the brick.
• The five-spired Shiva temple - a north Indian form beside the tank.
• The hut-shaped Jagannath temple - the do-chala roof in miniature.
• The 1895 rajbari - the estate mansion at the centre.

When to go

November to March. Half a day. Mornings for the terracotta in raking light. It is an easy stop on the Rajshahi to Natore road and combines with Natore in a day.

Honest expectations

Several temples are decaying and some are locked. The rajbari is worn and sparsely presented. Interpretation is limited. Whether shoes must come off varies by temple and the keepers will tell you.

Nearby

Natore Rajbari is east; Rajshahi lies west.