India, Aug. 15 -- Scattered across rural West Bengal are small monuments, mainly temples, mosques and tombs, made of baked earth.

They are unusual for a number of reasons.

First, they need sustained care, because plants, moss and lichen flourish in their roofs and walls. Second, they feature intricate and unusual architecture: often, a combination of domes, arches and turrets inspired by Persia; curved cornices and ornamentation; and often European motifs featuring kings and queens, poets and playwrights.

Most were built between the 1400s and 1900s. But here's the third interesting thing about them: while some were commissioned by kings and zamindars, others were commissioned by laypeople - merchants, weavers, priests, doctors, lawyers...