Maluti - Forgotten Temples of Jharkhand

Deep in the forests of Jharkhand in Dumka district, the heart of the Naxal insurgency hit region of India, you will find the extraordinary terracotta temple complex of Maluti. Dating back to the 17th century CE, this complex of 72 terracotta temples is all that remains of an old dynasty that once ruled here. As always there is a story behind this town and temple complex. It revolves around a small boy who lived here, over 500 years ago.

The region around the tiny village of Maluti, in the Santhal Pargana region on the Jharkhand-West Bengal border, has been a popular spot for human habitation for millennia. Stone tools from the Paleolithic period (2.6 million to 10,000 years) have been found in the riverbed of the local Chila River which flows through the village and marks the border between Jharkhand and West Bengal. Sadly, no systematic excavations have been carried out in the area and the conflict here, isn’t helping.