Chala Style

Chala-style temples in West Bengal were made of mud walls and thatched roofs.

But, in East Bengal (now Bangladesh) it was built with bamboo structures and thatched roofs.

In the present day, the temples are now located in two separate national territories: the Indian state of West Bengal and Bangladesh.

The Panchamukhi Shiva temple built in Do-chala style at Baranagar in Murshidabad district has three entrances.

[4] According to David McCutchion, Jor Bangla style temples are mostly observed in the area from Purulia to Faridpur (i.e. south of the Ganges and west of the Padma).

After the large chalas reach the required height above the center of the temple chamber, they form the pedestal for supporting walls of the smaller Char-chala.

[5] Kolkata's famous Kalighat Kali Temple is built in At-chala style.

[2] During the Mughal period the do-chala roof was to be adopted by the Muslims and even exported to other parts of India, where it became a prominent feature of seventeenth-century architecture in Delhi, Lahore, Gulberg, etc.

In the eighteenth century, from Delhi, Lahore or Gulberg it moved to the palace balconies and garden pavilions of Rajasthan.

[5] The Naulakha Pavilion, located next to the Sheesh Mahal courtyard in the northern part of the Lahore Fort, is built in the do-chala style, white marble used in its construction.