Mostly in ruins now, the 100-plus-years-old Dinajpur Rajbari still pulls in the crowds not because of its crumbling walls and moss-hewn pillars, but because of the two Hindu temples standing within its grounds. The one on the right as you enter – Durga Temple – has a large peaceful courtyard, but is, like the rest of the rajbari, largely in ruins. To the left, though, is the still-active Krishna Temple, slapped in bright bold paint, and full of columns and statues.
Thanks to Dinajpur’s Hindu population of around 38% (one of the highest in the country), this place is often heaving with devotees, making it an extremely lively place to visit. Some Hindu families live permanently in the yellow-wash houses built into the walls of the temple enclosure.
Directly behind the complex, a 10-minute walk first through the market area and then an embankment, is the Sukh Sagar lake, once the private reservoir of the rajbari but now open to the public.