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The
ancient
city
of
Ambowa
now
known
as
Ambika
Kalna
located
on
the
west
bank
of
the
Bhagirathi
River
in
Purba
Bardhaman
district
has
some
of
the
most
unique
and
beautiful
temples
built
in
the
various
styles
of
architecture
typical
to
Bengal.
Chala,
rekha,
ratna,
mancha
and
plain
roofed
temples
are
scattered
across
Kalna
built
by
the
various
dynasties
who
ruled
over
Burdwan.
It
was
during
the
reign
of
Maharaja
Kirti
Chand
Rai
of
the
Bardhaman
Raj
that
Ambowa
came
to
be
called
Ambikanagar
derived
from
the
name
of
the
presiding
deity
Ambika
who
has
been
worshipped
for
centuries
by
the
people
of
the
city.
The
most
iconic
temples
seen
today
in
Ambika
Kalna
were
built
by
the
Bardhaman
Raj
in
the
18th
–
19th
century.
According
to
the
locals,
stone
was
very
difficult
to
procure
and
so
the
artisans
used
the
clay
from
the
river
bank
to
make
bricks.
They
then
made
terracotta
panels
and
tiles
to
adorn
these
baked
bricks
and
embellished
them
with
human
figures,
animals,
floral
motifs,
geometric
patterns,
hunting
scenes,
scenes
from
social
life
and
stories
from
the
Ramayana,
Mahabharat,
Puranas
and
Hindu
scriptures.
Lalji
Mandir,
one
of
the
oldest
temples
built
by
Maharaja
Kirti
Chand
Rai
for
his
mother
Braja
Kishori
Devi
is
housed
in
the
Rajbari
complex
opposite
Nava
Kailash.
This
architectural
marvel
was
built
in
1739
CE
in
the
rare
panchabingshati
(twenty-five
pinnacles
or
peaks)
style.
There
are
only
five
such
temples
left
in
West
Bengal
of
which
three
are
seen
in
Kalna
(Lalji
Temple,
Krishna
Chandraji
Temple
and
Gopalji
Temple)
and
the
other
two
are
Sridhar
Temple
in
Sonamukhi
in
Bankura
district
and
Ananda
Bhairavi
Temple
in
Sukharia
village
in
Hooghly
district.