I have always been intrigued by ancient architecture and historical places. So, on my recent visit to my home-town, Kolkata, when I read about Bishnupur – a place of scattered terracotta temples, I made up my mind to plan a trip there, and having a family who never denied travelling, the trip was planned for the next day. We took our car and drove through Durgapur via the Grand Trunk Road to reach Bishnupur. It took around 4 hrs to reach our destination.
PS: Bishnupur is well connected by roadways and railways. The nearest airport is Imphal Airport at a distance of 23km from the town. Also, you can reach Bishnupur from Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata which is located at a distance of 140 km from the town. There are regular trains that communte between Howrah and Bishnupur Railway Station.
About Bishnupur
Bishnupur is a town and municipality in the Bankura District of West Bengal. This small town, flanked by paddy fields, low and high hills, holds significant cultural heritage in its building, crafts, culture, and many more.
This little town was once an eminent part of Mallabhum and served as the capital of the prosperous kingdom of the Malla Dynasty ruled by the Malla Kings. ‘Malla’ is a Sanskrit word meaning wrestler but there could be some links with the Mal tribes of the area, who had intimate connection with the Bagdis. Adi Malla, the founder of Mallabhum, was also known as Bagdi Raja.
Bishnupur is home to a plethora of brick / terracotta temples built by generations of the Malla kings during their reign from 1590 to 1806 CE. The temples display intricate carvings on the walls that depict scenes from Maharbharata, Ramayana, and Puranas. The temples are mostly dedicated to Lord Vishnu.
Places Covered
The best way to see the terracotta temples is to start early. We covered the following places in Bishnupur.
Jor Bangla Temple: Built in 1655 by King Raghunath Singha Dev, this temple is also known as ‘Kestorai Temple’ and follows the ‘Jora-Bangla’ style of architecture. It includes two Bengal-styled thatched roof-life structures joined together and the joined structure is crowned with a turret.
Rasmancha: Built in 1600 C.E., by Mallabhum King Hambir Malla Dev, this monument stands on a raised alter made up of laterite stoned and is crowned by stepped pyramidal structure that is surrounded by smaller Bengali-styled hut-like structures. The lower part consists of open doors that resemble the Islamic architecture. As this monument is not a temple, hence is not home to idols, however, during the ‘Vasinava Ras’ festival (stopped in 1932), all the idols from different temples were brought here for worshiping.
Gumgarh: A mystical square structure without any door or window is located on top of a small mound. Not much information is available about its year of construction and purpose. While some believe it to be a prison, others believe it to be a granary. Although it is nothing spectacular, it leaves on open question to its visitors.
Shyam Rai Temple: This temple is also called the ‘Pancha Ratna’ or ‘Paanch chura’ temple owing to its 5 pinnacles. Built by King Raghunath Singha Dev, this temple has triple-arched entrance on all four sides and stands on a low plinth. The ‘Ras Chakra’ or the lovemaking scenes are the explicitly displayed on the terracotta panels of the temple walls.
Radhashyam Temple: Unlike the Shyam Rai Temple, this temple has only one pinnacle. It dates back to 1758 when it was built during the reign of Malla King Chaitanya Singha. The temple is surrounded by high walls and the entrance consists of a triple-domed Islamic Style gate. The walls of the temple adorn lime stone stucco decoration.
Radha Laljiu Temple: It is believed that this temple was built 100 years earlier than the Radhashyam Temple. This temple also displays a single-pinnacled structure similar to that of the Radhashyam Temple.
Madan Mohan Temple: Built by Malla King Durja Singha in the year 1694, this temple adorns the finest terracotta art in Bishnupur. Located at a slight distance from the other structures, this singled-pinnacle temple is still an active temple dedicated to Lord Madan Mohan, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.
Dal Madal Cannon: This historic cannon is also one of the prime tourist attractions in Bishnupur. Built in 1742, this cannon weighs 112 quintal and measures 3.8m with a diameter of 30cm. Legend has it that this cannon was constructed to drive away the Marathas from Bishnupur.
Chinnamasta Temple: Next to the cannon lies this temple dedicated to Goddess Kali. The ancient temple has seen series of restoration and transformation.
Other places to visit include the following:
- Mrinmoyee Temple
- Stone Chariot
- Nandalal Temple
- Radha Madhav Temple
- Radha Binod Temple
- Bishnupur Fort
- Kalachand Temple
- Raj Bari
- Gardarja
- Big Stone Gateway
- Small Stone Gatway
- Lal Bandh
- Cluster of Jor Mandir Temples
Shopping
Terracotta Toys: Bishnupur is not only famous for its terracotta temples, but also for its clay horses and toys. Several interior décor items such as the famous Bishnupur horse, idols of gods and goddesses, clay wind-chimes, flower pots, etc. are available at all small and big stores alongside the road.
Baluchari Sarees: Not only for the famous terracotta temples and the ancient cannon, Bishnupur is also popular for its Baluchari sarees all over the world. These sarees are hand-woven using richly dyed silk and contains intricate motifs of Indian mythology woven on its ‘pallu’ or ‘aanchol’. The weaving of a single saree takes at least a week owing to its intensive labor and artisanship.
Folk Song
Apart from the enchanting terracotta temples, another interesting highlight of this trip was interacting with a folk singer named Shri. Kshitij Chandra Das. He sits in front of the Jor Bangla temple everyday and sings tales of Radha-Krishna in Bengali folk songs. The genre of his folk songs is called the Krishna Tatta.
Swinging in the cradle of Bengal’s cultural and architectural heritage left me spellbound. I was fortunate enough to witness the beauty and artisanship of these terracotta temples before time takes a toll on these ancient monuments. They have defeated the rage of centuries and are still standing and telling a silent story of Bengal’s history with pride.
Do give these temples a visit to bask in the glory of West Bengal!!
This trip is also published on Tripoto.
