| AN attempt to
cover comprehensively the temples of a highly developed and cultured area like Bengal
demands some knowledge of the cultures of the different population groups in Bengal along
with those of the neighbouring regions, the trends of historical and social development,
the routes and channels by which different religious thoughts became diffused, the
invisible links that exist between the different parts of India particularly through
temples and legends, the influences which they exert upon one another and various other
factors. There is a common affinity between the
temples and legends of one region with another. At a time when communication routes were
not well developed, it were the pilgrim centres that brought the different parts of India
together in spite of the differences in languages, social customs and cultures. The
temples and legends have always had a tremendous integrating influence on the different
regions that make up India.
Author - P.C.Roy Choudhury
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