Pabna, Rajshahi
An 18th-century brick temple of two joined hut-shaped roofs, decorated with terracotta, hidden in the old lanes of Pabna town.
The Jor Bangla temple was built in the 18th century, during the time of the Nawabs of Bengal. Its form is uniquely Bengali: two do-chala roofs, curved like the thatched huts of the countryside, are joined side by side into one building — the style called jor bangla, “joined Bengal”.
The walls once carried rich terracotta panels with figures, flowers and scenes; some survive, worn by time. The temple is a protected monument of the Department of Archaeology and one of the finest examples of this style in Bangladesh.
Finding it is part of the pleasure: it stands among houses in the old part of town, a reminder of the merchants and estate families who made Pabna prosperous.
Start early at the temple, while the light is soft on the terracotta.
Walk the nearby lanes to see old houses of the town’s merchant past.
Take a rickshaw to the film star’s childhood home.
End with doi and sweets at a shop in the town centre.
October to March, in morning light for the terracotta
In Pabna town: a short rickshaw or auto-rickshaw ride from the town centre. Ask for the “Jor Bangla Mandir” — the lanes are narrow, so the last part may be on foot.
