Maluti temples

Maluti temples
View of some of Maluti temples
Religion
Affiliation	Hinduism
District	Dumka district
Deity	Shiva Mauliksha devi
Festivals	Kali Puja
Location
Location	Maluti
State	Jharkhand
Country	India
Location in Malati village, Jharkhand
Geographic coordinates	24°09′N 87°40′E / 24.150°N 87.667°E / 24.150; 87.667
Architecture
Type	Bengal temple architecture
Completed	17th to 19th century
Monument(s)	78+8

Maluti temples are a group of 72 extant terracotta temples (out of the original number of 108),^[1] located in the Maluti village near Shikaripara in Dumka district on the eastern part of the Chota Nagpur Plateau, Indian state of Jharkhand.^[2] These temples, according to the Indian Trust for Rural Heritage and Development (ITRHD), were built between the 17th and 19th centuries. The kings of Baj Basanta dynasty built these temples in Maluti, their capital, inspired by goddess Mowlakshi, their family deity. Many of the temples are deified with different denominations of gods and goddesses, apart from the tutelary deity Mowlakshi, and others such as Shiva, Durga, Kali and Vishnu. The Global Heritage Fund (GHF) has proposed a conservation effort, which would increase tourism to the Maluti village. GHF has declared this site as one of the world's 12 most endangered cultural heritage sites.^[3]