Evolution of Hindu Temples in Calcutta

Traditional norms of temple buildings, especially the form and location of Hindu temples, were meticulously standardized by Sanskrit texts to conform with a basic idea that a temple is the personal dwelling place of a deity.

This study, using a historical comparison method, presents tangible exndence of changes in the form and location of Calcutta's temples and the erosion of the old ideology within the urban milieu. A classification of temples according to their organizational characteristics provides insight into the nature of their changes, their cause and implications.