Maluti or Mallahati is a village near Shikaripada in Dumka District in Jharkhand State situated about 18 km away from Rampurhat, Birbhum District in West Bengal. The name Maluti is said to be derived from Mallahati, the Malla Kings of Bankura. This place is known for 72 terracotta temples which were built by an old dynasty, the Baj Basanta dynasty, inspired by goddess Mowlakshi, their family deity. These temples are situated in 4 clusters in the village. The Indian Trust for Rural Heritage and Development (ITRHD), has dated the building of these temples between the 17th and 19th centuries. Originally, 108 temples were built and 72 still stand, but in a semi-dilapidated condition. The other 36 temples have been lost due to the lack of maintenance. Apart from the tutelary or protector deity Mauliksha, these temples had others Gods such as Shiva, Durga, Kali, Vishnu, and many more. The temples were decorated with sculptures of episodes from the epic Mahabharata and Ramayana, and the fight between Durga and Mahishasura. There are a few inscriptions on the temples which give details about the history of the temple building and the socio-political history of that period. The inscriptions are dated as “Shaka era” (Indian National Calendar). The inscriptions are a combination of Sanskrit, Prakrit and Bengali. These temples do not resemble any famous styles of temple architecture and show fusion of different styles of local architectures.
These temples are largely believed to be made of terracotta, because terracotta was common in the region. There is also a contention that the panels of the temples may actually be carvings on a very soft type of sandstone.
The temples of Maluti are a burning testimonial to India’s rich yet hidden heritage. The wave of the naxal-led violence has hurt the restoration and maintenance of Maluti and the fabulous temples. The Maluti temples were the official tableau of the state of Jharkhand at the 66th Republic Day Parade of India in the year 2015.
The kingdom of Maluti, was then called “Nankar Raj” (tax-free kingdom). It was gifted to a Brahmin named Basanta by a Muslim ruler, Alauddin Husain Shah of Gaura (1495-1525). It is said that the Sultan lost his pet falcon (Baj) once during his hunting expedition and was deeply depressed. Basanta, the Brahmin villager, salvaged the falcon and got the bird back to the Sultan. This is how Basanta was given the suffix Raja and called Raja Baj Basanta.
As Basanta was a very religious person he preferred building temples instead of palaces. So he divided his family into four clans and built as many as 108 temples in Maluti within a radius of 350 metres.