Mahilara Memorial Temple

There are a few leaning structures in the world that are famous for their ‘unintended tilt’. When we think of the most renowned leaning structure in the world, most of us will usually visualise the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy.

The construction of the Leaning Tower of Pisa began in 1173. It was interrupted several times by wars and debt, while engineers worked on solutions to correct the lean. Finally, the tower was completed in the mid-13th Century. The Pisa Tower currently leans at an angle of 3.7 degrees.  

Now, let’s have a quick look at the Indian Subcontinent. Our neighbour India has two famous leaning temples _ Bimaleswar Temple and Ratneshwar Mahadev Ttemple. Bimaleswar is located at Huma, 23km south of Sambalpur in Orissa. It is not known if the structure is leaning by design or for some other reason. Interestingly, while the edifice leans, the pinnacle is perpendicular to the ground. On the other hand, Ratneshwar Mahadev, located at Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, is probably leaning as the result of a fault in its foundation or due to ground silt.

But most of us do not even know there is a similar leaning temple in Bangladesh.  Perhaps, it is the only leaning temple in our country. The name of the temple is Mahilara Memorial Temple. It is located at Mahilara village in Gaurnadi upazila of Barisal district. It is a unique example of spired or peaked temple architecture.

The temple leans to the south by approximately 3 degrees. No inscription has been found on the temple. From its architectural style, it can be assumed the temple was built in the mid-18th century. According to local legend, one Sarkar Rupram Dasgupta built the memorial temple. That is why the temple is also known as Sankar Math or Sarkar Math.

The temple is about 90-feet (27m) high. It is an octagonal spire-typed temple, with multiple curved cornices. The length of each wall in the lower part is about 6.5 feet (2m). These walls climb up to about 20 feet (6m) from the ground. Then, the temple structure gradually gets thinner as it moves upwards. The tapered part is ornamented with several bow-shaped cornice decorations, ending in a peak. There is a small room inside the temple, with an entrance on the west wall. The panel of the segmental arch over the entrance has numerous designs.

All the wonderful decorations give the temple an eye-catching look and a notable heritage value. The temple, a protected site of the Department of Archaeology, is one of the well-preserved temples of Bangladesh. 

Reference: Late Mediaeval Temples of Bengal: Origins and Classification, David J McCutchion, Asiatic Society, Calcutta, 1972; Bangladesher Mandir, Ratan Lal Chakrabarti, Bangla Academy, 1985; Brihattar Barishal er Oitihashik Nidarshan, Saiful Ahsan Bulbul, 2012; District of Bakerganj: Its History and Statistics, 1876.

Mahilara Memorial Temple

There are a few leaning structures in the world that are famous for their unintended tilt. When we think of the most renowned leaning structure in the world, most of us will usually visualise the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy. The construction of the Leaning Tower of Pisa began in 1173. It was interrupted several times by wars and debt, while engineers worked on solutions to correct the lean. Finally, the tower was completed in the mid-13th Century. The Pisa Tower currently leans at an angle of 3.7 degrees. Now, lets have a quick look at the Indian Subcontinent. Our neighbour India has two famous leaning temples _ Bimaleswar Temple and Ratneshwar Mahadev Ttemple. Bimaleswar is located at Huma, 23km south of Sambalpur in Orissa. It is not known if the structure is leaning by design or for some other reason. Interestingly, while the edifice leans, the pinnacle is perpendicular to the ground. On the other hand, Ratneshwar Mahadev, located at Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, is probably leaning as the result of a fault in its foundation or due to ground silt. But most of us do not even know there is a similar leaning temple in Bangladesh. Perhaps, it is the only leaning temple in our country. The name of the temple is Mahilara Memorial Temple. It is located at Mahilara village in Gaurnadi upazila of Barisal district. It is a unique example of spired or peaked temple architecture. The temple leans to the south by approximately 3 degrees. No inscription has been found on the temple. From its architectural style, it can be assumed the temple was built in the mid-18th century. According to local legend, one Sarkar Rupram Dasgupta built the memorial temple. That is why the temple is also known as Sankar Math or Sarkar Math. The temple is about 90-feet (27m) high. It is an octagonal spire-typed temple, with multiple curved cornices. The length of each wall in the lower part is about 6.5 feet (2m). These walls climb up to about 20 feet (6m) from the ground. Then, the temple structure gradually gets thinner as it moves upwards. The tapered part is ornamented with several bow-shaped cornice decorations, ending in a peak. There is a small room inside the temple, with an entrance on the west wall. The panel of the segmental arch over the entrance has numerous designs. All the wonderful decorations give the temple an eye-catching look and a notable heritage value. The temple, a protected site of the Department of Archaeology, is one of the well-preserved temples of Bangladesh. Reference: Late Mediaeval Temples of Bengal: Origins and Classification, David J McCutchion, Asiatic Society, Calcutta, 1972; Bangladesher Mandir, Ratan Lal Chakrabarti, Bangla Academy, 1985; Brihattar Barishal er Oitihashik Nidarshan, Saiful Ahsan Bulbul, 2012; District of Bakerganj: Its History and Statistics, 1876.