Lalji Temple (1739)

The oldest temple in the Rajbari complex and, in the eyes of most architectural historians, the most important. The Lalji Temple was built by Braja Kishori Devi, wife of Maharaja Jagat Ram in 1739, making it a notable fact that two of Kalna’s most significant temples were the commissions of royal women rather than the Maharajas themselves. It is a Panchavimshati Ratna temple (25 pinnacles), the oldest such structure in Kalna and the earliest surviving example of the type. The 25 pinnacles are arranged in a mathematically precise pyramid: 12 at the four corners of the first storey (3 × 4), 8 at the four corners of the second storey (2 × 4), 4 at the four corners of the third storey (1 × 4) and 1 central pinnacle, summing to 25.
Dedicated to Radha and Krishna (‘Lalji’ means ‘beloved one,’ a name of Krishna), the temple’s exterior walls carry terracotta panels depicting the Krishna Leela, royal hunting scenes and vignettes from the Puranas. The interior's colours are still astonishingly vivid after nearly three centuries. This polychrome effect is genuinely startling to most visitors. Inside the temple grounds, a brightly painted Garuda with green wings guards the main Radha-Krishna idols. A large domed char-chala Natmandir (performance hall) stands in front.
The Giri Gobardhan Temple (1758), situated next to the Lalji complex, is an unusually charming building. Its roof is designed to look like Mount Govardhan, the sacred hill of Vrindavan, a form completely unique among Bengal temples. Small figures of humans and animals dot its summit.