HISTORY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN ANCIENT INDIA 

PATHRA : THE LAND OF TEMPLES 

Saurabh Singh
 

 
 
 

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND WITH SOCIAL CONTEXT 

 

Pathra is located on the bank of the river Kangsabati, is a village of temples. There are 34
temples in the village, all over 200 years old. Barely 10 km from Midnapore town. The history of
Pathra goes back to the Gupta age, when the place was the hinterland of Tamralipta port, a
gateway to Southeast Asia. From 8th Century to 12th Century, it was an important hub for
Hindus, Jains and Buddhists.

The turning point in the history of the village came in 1732, when Nawab Alivardi Khan
appointed Bidyananda Ghoshal as the revenue collector of Ratnachawk ​pargana​. Bidyananda
established temple after temple in the village, making it a major draw for Hindu pilgrims. The
nawab, however, was not too pleased with Bidyananda’s work. He was thrown into prison and
then sentenced to death.

The Ghoshal family changed its surname to Majumdar and continued building temples till the
end of the 18th Century. Another branch of the family, with surname Bandopadhyay, also started
constructing temples. With indigo cultivation and silk trade boosting the family’s fortunes, funds
were not difficult to come by. The decline started as the rich families shifted base from the
village and ignorant local residents started vandalising the temples.There was neither any
initiative from the government nor from the academic circle to preserve the structures.

The efforts of a local resident named Yeasin Pathan and a handful of scholars from the
mid-1960s finally bore fruit in the form of government grant and technical assistance from IIT
Kharagpur in saving the temples. A slice of Bengal’s glorious past was salvaged in the nick of
time. Today, 28 out of 34 temples in Pathra are under the supervision of the Archaeological
Survey of India. It has repaired 18 temples. A non-government organisation named Pathra
Archaeological Preservation Committee also looks after the structures.

The ​navaratna temple on the western bank of the river is the grandest. A small ​atchala temple
established in 1816 stands in the same compound. Just opposite to it is a cluster of three ​aatchala
temples and a small ​navaratna temple called Shivalaya. Terracotta artworks adorn these temples,
too. Behind them is a Durga ​dalan​, a temple-like structure made of stone.Some distance away is
another group of ​pancharatna temples, built in the typical Bengal style and enriched with
terracotta sculptures.Most of the temples offer glimpses of Islamic architectural styles.The
terracotta panels that still exist bear images of Ram, Balaram, Radha and Krishna, Dashavatar,
Hanuman, Durga and hunting. The majority of the temples are dedicated to Krishna, Vishnu and
Shiva.The other important temples are Sarba Mangal, Kalachand, Das Mahavidya and Hansa.

 
2 
 
 

MATERIALS : WHAT WERE THESE TEMPLES MADE UP OF ? 

The temples of Bengal form one of the most distinctive groups of sacred monuments in India,
Incorporating a wide range of forms and techniques that testify to the multiple artistic influences
acting upon the region.Four different building traditions influenced the temple architecture in
Bengal are Temple architecture of north India specifically of Orissa,Temple architecture
associated with Buddhism,Monumental architecture of Sultanate period and Mughal architecture.

Even though stone was mainly used for construction till this period, there are rarely any stone
temples in this province due to scarcity of stone. In Bengal Stone temples are mostly found on
southwestern periphery of Bengal as a coarse-grained laterite was plentiful in those regions.

Due to the abundant availability of good alluvial soil temples were rarely built with or faced with
stone. The majority of the Bengal temples were built with well-fired bricks. These brick sizes
vary not only from region to region and from century to century but also within the same
building.For example at Kodla brick sizes range from 24 x 20 x 4 cm to 17 x 13 x 4 cm.

Mortar used for laying brick was made from a mixture of powdered brick and lime (lime was
obtained by processing snails shells.) fine but very hard pankha plaster done on roofs, vaults and
walls of plaster was made from snail lime mixed with river sand.

Bricks were generally laid as stretchers, with half bricks to fill the gaps and to avoid successive
vertical joints. Surface brickwork when covered with terracotta sculptures organized into overall
façade schemes, displays considerable skill of the craftsman. Different shapes of bricks are used
such as long thin bricks laid edgewise as framing bands, triangular bricks as filling pieces and
flat plaques coordinated in large scale sculptural compositions, these all carefully interlock.

Well fired brick is the basic building material for temple making in Bengal. Brick sizes vary, not
only from region to region and from century to century but also within the same building.Bricks
are generally laid as stretchers, with half bricks to fill the gaps and avoid successive vertical
joints.Surface brickwork when covered with terracotta sculptures organized into overall façade
schemes, displays considerable skill of the craftsman.

Different shapes of bricks are used such as long thin bricks laid edgewise as framing bands,
triangular bricks as filling pieces and flat plaques coordinated in large scale sculptural
compositions, these all carefully interlock.

Vaults and domes are also created with bricks laid as stretchers. In arches, bricks are cut to form
tapering voussoirs. Curved layers of brickwork are employed to create vaults as well as swelling
contours of temple cornices and roofs. Sometimes bricks are laid diagonally to decorate
supporting arches and pendentives.
 
3 
 
 

HOW TO DEVELOP PATHRA AS A TOURIST SPOT ? 

There are three main factors required at a destination to make it a tourist destination:

1 ) ATTRACTION

1. Restoration of Temples and Starting Puja

2. Development of splendid gardens in the temples campus.
3. Development of the Riverside around Kangsabati river just like sabarmati river in Gujarat
4. Starting boat rides in the river and installation of fountains to make it look attractive
5. Publishing Advertisements in Local Newspapers,Hoardings on the National Highways
6. Establishment of a Museum housing artifacts of bengal culture and Idols found
7. Local Cuisine should be made available
8. A small Fair should be organised in Navratri

2) ​ACCESSIBILITY

1. Development of broad roads leading to pathra

2. Regular Buses from Medinipur to Pathra for better accessibility for tourists
3. Installation of street lights and floodlights around temples campus
4. Water ferry services in Kangsabati river
5. Toto’s to be run so that tourists can easily traverse around the area
6. Guided Tours around the whole pathra area
7. Get listed in Google and other search engines and get good reviews
8. A website should be developed for pathra housing all necessary information about it

3) ​AMENITIES

1. Availability of hygienic food and fresh water around the pathra temples campus
2. Hotels,Guesthouses should be developed in the area
3. A small market should be developed
4. A Hospital should be opened near this area
5. Parking places should be developed along with installation of benches
6. Opening of ATM’s for comfort of tourists
7. Mobile Towers should be installed for better Connectivity
8. Fogging should be conducted and trimming of grasses
9. Dustbins should be installed around the area and no plastic allowed

All of the above segments are key factor to develop a spot as a tourist destination and also
provides employment to locals which boosts the rural economy and discourage urban
migration.Ultimately this is a win win situation for all involved parties.

 
4