"Bangladesh's largest cluster of Hindu temples, built by queens and left behind by a family that crossed a border"
Puthia Rajbari Temple complex
Puthia, Rajshahi Division, Bangladesh
Twenty-three kilometres east of Rajshahi, the Puthia complex holds Bangladesh's largest concentration of historic Hindu temples — including the country's largest Shiva temple, reflected in the waters of Shiv Sagar lake. Built across the 19th century by the queens of the Puthia Raj family, the temples were left behind when the family emigrated to India after Partition in 1947. The devotion outlasted the dynasty that built it; the terracotta and the stone remain.
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Quick Facts
Location
Puthia, Rajshahi Division, Bangladesh
Coordinates
24.3631, 88.8365
Last Updated
Mar 9, 2026
Learn More
Built by the queens of the Puthia Raj family during the 19th century, the complex represents Bengal's finest Hindu temple architecture. The family emigrated after Partition in 1947.
Origin Story
The Puthia Raj family was established in the 16th century by Bhatsacharya, a holy man. Over centuries, the family became the principal Hindu zamindars of Rajshahi, and their queens built the temples that now constitute Bangladesh's largest Hindu temple complex. Rani Bhubonmoyee Devi built the great Shiva temple in 1823. Rani Hemanta Kumari built the palace in 1895. Two years after her palace was completed, the entire world the family had built was disrupted by Partition.
Key Figures
Rani Bhubonmoyee Devi
Builder of the Bhubaneshwar Shiva Temple (1823), the largest Shiva temple in Bangladesh
Rani Hemanta Kumari
Builder of the Panch Ani Palace (1895) and patron of multiple civic institutions in Rajshahi
Spiritual Lineage
The Puthia Raj family traces to Bhatsacharya (16th century). The family's temple-building tradition reached its height in the 19th century under the patronage of its queens.
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