Kantaji Mandir, a national heritage site, has been hosting raaspurnima mela, an annual festival dedicated to the divine love of Lord Krishna and Radha, for centuries.

But never before devotees there had experienced anything close to yesterday's bomb explosion during a jatra pala (open-air village theatre) just outside the temple. 

At the advent of Bangla rice-harvesting month of Agrahayan, devotees and heritage aficionados from home and abroad throng to the lush green courtyard of this navaratna-style temple in Dinajpur for the attraction of raaspurnima, local people say. 

This year the one-month-long festival began in the full moon of November 25. 

Over the centuries, the temple has not only been a place of religious purposes for the local Hindus, but also of a legacy, rich with 18th century architectural design and terracotta plaques.  

Just over a kilometre west to the Dinajpur-Thakurgaon highway across the Dhepa river, it has more than 15,000 terracotta plaques depicting Ramayana and Mahabharata, thus making it a gem among Bangalee Hindu Temple Architectures, says a Unesco document. 

The temple of Hindu Lord Krishna is one of the most magnificent religious edifices belonging to the 18th century and is popular with the Radha-Krishna cult (assemble of memorable love).

Built by Maharaja Prannath and his son Raja Ramnath in early 18th century, it had nine spires that were destroyed in an earthquake in 1897.