+ Banda Deul is a 11th Century structure.
+ Located at a distance of 35 Kms from Purulia, the district centre in West Bengal.
+ Constructed in the Rekha Deul style featuring a soaring curvilinear tower.
+ Built of sandstone and follows the tri-ratha plan.
– Author: Nitin H P, Bengaluru
Nestled quietly in the rustic village of Banda, also known locally as Deulghera, in Raghunathpur sub division of Purulia district, stands a forgotten yet striking monument of India’s medieval heritage.
Situated just a kilometre from Cheliyama village, and about 35 km from Purulia town, the Banda Deul today stands silent yet stoic, surrounded by fields and modest homes. It is a rare survivor of the Jain architectural legacy that once dotted the landscape of western Bengal.
This Digambar Jain temple, believed to date back to the 11th century CE, is one of the finest surviving examples of stone temple architecture in West Bengal. Known also as the Banda Jain Temple, this structure whispers tales of a time when Jainism flourished in these very lands.
It is constructed in the Rekha Deul style – a form that features a soaring curvilinear tower, or shikhara, over the sanctum. The temple is built of sandstone and follows the triratha plan, with three distinct vertical projections along its outer walls.
Its walls are decorated with motifs of creepers, chaitya-window designs, and delicate scroll work – all stylised with an elegance that has managed to survive the centuries, despite time’s relentless erosion.
The interior of the temple reveals a square sanctum – a simple yet sacred cell where once an idol of a Jain Tirthankar was installed.
In front of it is the remains of a mandapa, a pillared hall. Though much of it has collapsed, eight pillars still stand tall, silently guarding the temple’s memory. These stone columns, though plain, are likely survivors of a once grand mahamandapa, whose roof may have stretched high enough to obscure a peculiar feature of the temple façade.
The Banda Deul’s front elevation is quite unusual. There are three vertical tiers of openings stacked above the sanctum door, each leading to a small chamber above the other. These are not windows for light, but essential parts of the temple’s inner structure.
While the temple is modest in ornamentation, and its base mouldings are not particularly bold or refined, its value lies not in grandeur but in architectural distinctiveness.
Many such temples have been lost to time – some converted into Shaiva or Shakta shrines, others simply abandoned. Banda Deul remains, not merely as stone and shadow, but as a living testament to a layered past – a past where religion, architecture, and community once came together in quiet splendour. In its weathered walls and simple form, the Banda Deul offers not only a glimpse into Bengal’s Jain history, but a profound reminder of how even forgotten temples can echo with the voice of time.