Bali Dewanganj is the census town in Hooghly District of West Bengal that carries several temples of medieval and modern era. Durga Temple of Bali Dewanganj is one of the centres of attraction in Hooghly District in West Bengal.
Location of Bali Dewanganj
Bali Dewanganj is the census town in the Arambagh sub-division of the Hooghly district of West Bengal. It is well connected by road from both Arambagh and Tarakeshwar. The local people reach by a bus to Bali Dewangunj.
Bali Dewanganj is the place where the Bengal temple architecture is classified under two broad heads namely- Chala (sloped roof) and Ratna (Pinnacle) style. Rarely the two styles combine in a single temple forming a mixed form of architecture.
Durga Temple of Bali Dewanganj
The Durga Temple of Bali Dewanganj, dedicated to Goddess Durga is almost certainly the best example of such diverse temple architecture in the whole of West Bengal. The lower part of Durga Temple follows the Chala style, in the form of Jora-Bangla style.
Structure of Durga Temple
Bali Dewanganj is consisting of two adjoining thatched roof structures. In the middle of the two thatched roof structures stand a "Nabaratna" (nine pinnacle) structure, thus combining the two forms of Bengal temple architecture.
While on the contrary, the Bali Dewanganj houses five temples out of which three are in crumbling stage. Large portions of these temples have already collapsed and all that remains are on the verge of collapsing. Mangal Chandi Temple which lies on the left hand side of the road is said to contain thirteen pinnacles but none of them have survived the test of time. Only one of the stories of this three storied structure stands to this day. Nothing much is known about the structural details of the other two ruined temples, but somehow a pinnacle of each of the two temples stands to this day. The fourth temple in the complex is a small Shiva temple, probably constructed at a much later date and cannot be considered as a historical structure.
The disintegrated ancient and medieval temples and mansions of Bali Dewanganj definitely make one to feel the past and glorious history of Bengal.
