Sea winds erode Sundarbans temple

Subject: History

Section: Art and Culture

Concept:

The impact of climate change, especially the increase in air salinity, is eroding the outer wall of Jatar Deul, an 11th century terracotta Shiva temple.
It is located at Raidighi in South 24 Parganas, West Bengal.
According to the Archeological Survey of India, “the outer brick wall of the temple is getting eroded, with the edge of bricks suffering steady corrosion due to increase in air salinity,”.
The temple is facing erosion because of hydraulic action or air salinity.
Trees provide a barrier to coastal winds on the upper part of the temple which reduces the erosion on this side.
Stone temples located along the coast — such as the famed Konark temple of Odisha — are less affected by salinity since the porosity of stone is far less than that of brick.

About Jatar Deul temple:

It is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva.
The Temple stands on a small hill in the landscape of the southern Sundarbans
A copper plate found near the temple in 1875 suggests that Raja Joychandra constructed the temple in 975 AD.
The temple has been classified as a Monument of National Importance by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

Structure:

This temple is facing towards the east and follows the Kalingan style of architecture.
The temple is built over a raised platform.
It has an arched gateway leading to the sanctum.
The sanctum is situated below the ground level.
The sanctum houses Lingas, pictures and idols of various gods & goddesses of Hindu pantheon.
The walls of the temple were intricately decorated with decorative bricks, but most of it is lost due to unplanned reconstruction.

Kalingan style of architecture:

It is a style of Hindu architecture which flourished in the ancient Kalinga previously known as Utkal and part of the kingdom of Magadha or present eastern Indian state of Odisha.
In Kalinga style – the temple is made up of two structures: a tower and hall. The Tower is called ‘Deula’, and the hall is called ‘Jagmohan’.
The style consists of three distinct types of temples: Rekha Deula, Pidha Deula and Khakhara Deula.
Rekha Deula: It is a tall building with a sikhara. The Rekha Deula means a shrine with different parts in a line.Eg: Rekha Deula in the Lingraj Temple of Bhubneshwar.
Pidha Deula: Pidha Deula refers to the square building with a pyramid-shaped roof, like the vimanas.Eg: The assembly hall of the Konark Sun Temple.
Khakhara Deula: It is altogether a different style of architecture closely appearing similar to the Dravidian Gopuran design. The temples of the feminine deities as Shakti are temple of this type. Eg: Baitala temple of Bhubneshwar dedicated to Chamunda.