The Palmette Motif in Bangladeshi Temple Architecture: A Hellenistic Legacy

Dr. Md. Mozahedul Haque

Adjunct Faculty, General Education Department, Northern University Bangladesh

DOI: https://doi.org/10.59815/bhs.vol2801

Abstract: The palmette motif is one of the most enduring ornamental designs in world art, originating in the ancient Mediterranean and widely associated with Hellenistic architecture and decorative vocabulary. This research examines its appearance, adaptation, and symbolic significance in the temple architecture of Bangladesh, with a focus on late medieval and early modern structures. The study begins by tracing the motif’s origins in Egyptian lotus and papyrus designs, its transformation in Classical and Hellenistic Greece, and its dissemination across Asia through Persian, Gandharan, and Indo-Greek intermediaries. Within South Asia, the palmette appears in early Mauryan, Gupta, and post-Gupta architecture before becoming integrated into the brick-and-terracotta traditions of Bengal. Through comparative stylistic analysis of temples such as the Kantajew Temple in Dinajpur, and the Shiva temples of Puthia, this study identifies echoes of Hellenistic design principles. The palmette in Bangladesh appears as full anthemion patterns, simplified foliage forms, and hybrid compositions with vine scrolls and rosettes on lintels, arches, cornices, and deity panel frames. The findings suggest that trade and artisanal migration facilitated its transmission, while local religious traditions added new symbolic layers, making the motif a marker of cross-cultural exchange and artistic syncretism.

Key Words: Palmette motif, Hellenistic art, Bangladeshi temple, Cross-cultural transmission.