Documentation and Architectural Interpretation of the Panishail Temple Complex, Maulvibazar, Bangladesh. Kawshik Saha * , Shamsul Arefin, Gourpada Dey Department of Architecture, Shahjalal University of Science & Technology, Sylhet, Bangladesh * Corresponding Author’s Email: kawshik-arc@sust.edu Abstract This article represents survey data of historical and architectural documentation of Sri Radha Binod Ashrama locally known as the Panishail temple. Temple architecture is a common feature of traditional religious architecture practice in Bangladesh. This article is a historical and architectural investigation of a less known and mixed type of Hindu temple style in the Bengal region. The Panishail temple complex has a collection of structures that include tomb, temples, and residences aged between fifty to two hundred years. Over the ages, these heritage buildings have displayed a unique architectural style of ancient Bengal and still serving as a living sacred landscape heritage. However, like most of the ancient monuments of Bangladesh, Panishail structures inside this complex stand against the threat of decay and anthropogenic destruction with no effort to conserve them. There is a need for immediate action of research, exploration and preservation to save this historic landmark. This research aims to investigate historic and physical features of the temple complex through a systematic survey and documentation effort. This research will lay a foundation for future conservation intervention on this site. Moreover, this work will significantly contribute to historic temple architecture study in Bangladesh. Keywords: Hindu Temples, Sacred landscape, Bhaishnavism, Conservation, Architectural Documentation. 1. Introduction Sylhet, the Northeastern region of Bangladesh, is often referred to as the spiritual capital of this country. Historically, Sylhet has been serving as a home of two major religious streams of the Indian subcontinent, ‘Islam’ and ‘Hinduism’. Over the centuries, Sylhet appeared as a major religious center of Northeast India to contain spiritual values and spread these ideologies through in the region [1]. This diversity of religious streams has reflected in indigenous literature, music, art, crafts, and mostly in architecture. Reasonably, Sylhet and surrounding areas are home to several Hindu temples that are rich in terms of heritage value [2]. The Panishail temple complex has immense importance in terms of architectural heritage and its overall contribution as a religious institute. Unfortunately, these ancient structures are in fragile condition, threatening by various external factors and requiring major conservation intervention. This research aims to record this heritage site by architectural documentation through developing plans, elevation and 3d models. These documents will lay a foundation for future conservation efforts on this site. The authors have attempted a comparative study of this temple features with temple architectural features developed in Bangladesh. The authors expect that this article will reach a wider range of researchers, heritage experts, conservators, entrepreneurs. Besides, this work will give a basis for future research or any kind of intervention on this historic site. This study will support the department of archaeology of Bangladesh to further study and protect the group of monuments as a national heritage. 2. The objective of the study: Various international charters (Venice Charter, Athens charter) and conservators have given importance to proper documentation as a fundamental need for conservation [3]. Proper documentation helps to understand the structures and help to make correct decisions. Hence, the primary objective of this research was to make architectural documentation of the existing buildings within the temple complex. Second, to identify the heritage values of these buildings by comparing and analyzing existing temple architecture examples. This research also aimed to inspect the structures to identify the major threats and conservation needs of the structures. The authors also discussed potential issues and directions for sustainable preservation efforts that maybe be put in place for this site. Preprints (www.preprints.org) | NOT PEER-REVIEWED | Posted: 11 January 2021 doi:10.20944/preprints202101.0174.v1 © 2021 by the author(s). Distributed under a Creative Commons CC BY license.