175-Year-Old Indian Temple Collapses Into the Ganges River in West Bengal

• A temple in Malda, West Bengal, collapsed into the Ganges River after severe erosion broke through its protective barriers
• The structure, which had stood since 1954, came down dramatically as floods intensified in the region
• Al Jazeera English shared footage of the collapse, shocking viewers and raising alarm over heritage site safety in India

A temple in Malda, West Bengal, crumbled into the Ganges River on 7 September 2026 after floodwaters and severe erosion wore through the barriers protecting the structure.

The building had stood since 1954. Within moments, the entire structure gave way and disappeared into the river, leaving nothing behind.

Al Jazeera English shared video footage of the collapse on TikTok on 8 September 2026, crediting local videographer Sourav Mandal with the original footage. The clip spread rapidly, with thousands of viewers watching the moment the temple fell.

How the Ganges swallowed the temple

West Bengal has been dealing with intense seasonal flooding, and the Ganges has been running dangerously high. The river’s erosion had been eating away at the embankments around the temple for some time. When the protective barriers finally gave way, the foundation had nothing left to hold it.

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Locals who witnessed the collapse described the scene as deeply distressing. The site had been part of the Malda community for over seven decades and held religious significance for the area’s residents.

Heritage sites under threat

The incident has reignited concerns about how vulnerable temples and other heritage structures are along riverbanks in India. The Ganges, one of the country’s most significant rivers, runs through densely populated regions with thousands of religious sites built along its banks, many of them decades or even centuries old.

According to reports, community members warned that rising flood levels and unchecked erosion pose a growing threat to these sites. The Malda collapse is being seen as a stark example of what can happen when protective infrastructure is not maintained or strengthened ahead of monsoon season.

Watch the moment the temple collapsed into the Ganges:

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Source: Briefly News