Apr 8, 2016

Temple at the West End of the Village of Para, Manbhum District (Now in Purulia District), Bengal - 1872

Temple at the West End of the Village of Para, Manbhum District (Now in Purulia District), Bengal - 1872

Photographer: Joseph David Beglar
Photograph of the temple at the west end of the village of Para. The temple "at the extreme west end is a curious and not inelegant building; it is clearly post-Muhammadan, but not of recent date; the roofs are all of overlapping courses, although the arches supporting them are true arches..." J.D. Beglar, Report of a tour through the Bengal Provinces...in 1872-73 (A.S.I. vol. VIII, Calcutta, 1878), pp. 162-163. The true arch can broadly be classified as an Islamic method of construction however, after its introduction to India the method was also used in Hindu structures an example being the temple shown here. The pieces of the arch are arranged so that each part pushes against the others in order to hold the whole together. In this way the load is transmitted to the walls and a large space can be enclosed. Source: British Library