Pratapeswar Temple (1849)

The first temple a visitor encounters on entering the Rajbari compound. Built in the rekha-deul (curvilinear tower) style, the oldest and most formal of Bengal’s temple forms, during the reign of Maharaja Pratapchandra, son of Teja Chandra. The four exterior walls are among the finest surviving examples of Bengali terracotta narrative art: each face tells a different mythological story. The front wall carries scenes from the Ramayana with Rama, Sita and their kingdom; another wall depicts the battle of Lanka with Maa Durga in her Mahishasuramardini form; a third shows Chaitanya Mahaprabhu with his Vaishnava companions; the fourth carries scenes from the Mahabharata. Some sources describe the four walls as representing the four great Yugas of Hindu cosmology. The trompe l’oeil stone-effect doorway is a particularly celebrated piece of terracotta craft. A small cannon stands to the left of the entrance; a Ras Mancha (ceremonial performance platform, now partially ruined with its dome collapsed) stands immediately to the right.