Differentiate between pirs and temples
Answers
Pirs and Temples
Mosques were built there during the Mughal rule, and that led to a religious transformation in the region.
In the 16th century, people emigrated in large numbers from West Bengal and started farming in the more fertile eastern parts. The lives of these new immigrants and settlers weren't easy, and they were looking for order and peace.
So people went to religious teachers, preachers, and saints (believed to have supernatural powers), all of whom were known as Pirs. This word also included Sufi saints, colonisers and deified soldiers, various Hindu and Buddhist deities, and even animistic spirits.
Rulers started building many temples in Bengal between the late 15th century to the 19th century to show their power and spirituality. Many of these temples were built with the help of social groups such as the 'Kolu' (oil pressers) and the 'Kansari' (bell metal workers).
After the 19th century, many European companies came to Bengal and created good jobs for people. So people made more money and built bigger temples. And the local deities, first worshipped in thatched huts, came to be recognised by the brahmanas and worshipped in newly built temples. True to the typical Bengali style of architecture, they were double-roofed (dochala) or four-roofed (chauchala) temples built on a square platform. And although their inner walls were plain, the outer walls were mostly decorated with paintings or terracotta tablets