A salvage excavation in West Bengal’s Birbhum district has brought to light a rare 8th-century Pala-era brick temple. The structure is unique for its Pancharatha plan and is dedicated to the Bodhisattva Samantabhadra, a figure representing universal virtue in Mahayana Buddhism. The temple's exterior is adorned with exquisite Terracotta plaques depicting the Ten Paramitas (perfections).
Notably, the site contains an intact Circumambulatory path (Pradakshina-patha) with traces of original mineral pigments in shades of ochre and cinnabar. This discovery provides crucial evidence of the early development of brick temple architecture in Eastern India before the transition to the more common stone Nagara styles of the later medieval period.