BISHNUPUR

      Bishnupur is a town of historical importance situated in Bankura district in western part of West Bengal. It is a 4-hour-journey from Kolkata by train & 5-hour by bus. Bishnupur, capital of Malla dynasty since 10th century, is still an abode of art & culture. It is the 'terra cotta capital ' of Bengal,as well as India.

      The Malla kings were worshippers of Shakti (MAA DURGA). The situation changed in late-16th century when King Bir Hambir bumped into Vaishnav scholar Srinivas Acharya.  The king & the kingdom fell head over heels in love with SRI RADHIKA & SRI KRISHNA.  Bishnupur became an abode of Vaishnav culture.  

       Bir Hambir & his successors built many temples of RADHA-KRISHNA which are still there telling us the story of love,reverence & architectural skill of ancient Bengal.

       Some of the temples are :

       RAAS MANCHA

       

       King Bir Hambir learnt that some precious items were going to be transported through the western part of his kingdom. He couldn't resist his thirst of the treasure & so, deployed his men in the forest.  It was the darkest night awaiting a new dawn.  

       Hambir's men did their job successfully.  They  looted the carts & brought the treasure as well as the people carrying it to the King.  It was really a lucrative catch! What the soldiers looted were some rare books on Vaishnav philosophy  & life story of Sri Chaitanya Dev. The man in charge of those books was Sri Nivas Acharya, a noted scholar.  Acharya read the books to the king, explained the philosophy.  Bir Hambir was reincarnated.

      He knew only muscle power. Vaishnav culture gave him a lesson on the power of love. He started feeling the love for all. Wealth, power, violence became insignificant to him. He was initiated into Vaishnav religion by Sri Nivas Acharya. Bishnupur set foot on a new path.

      Hambir visited Vrindavan. After coming back, he built Raas Mancha (in 1600 A.D,) , a matchless brick-temple.

      Dome & the arches  of Raas Mancha show influence of Egyptian & Islamic  architecture respectively. On the roof are small chalas or huts -- signature of Bengali architecture.  Raas Mancha is situated on a square plinth of laterite stone.  There are three concentric corridors with the sanctum sanctorum at the centre. The corridors are lined with robust pillars made of terracotta bricks.

     Raas Mancha is not as embellished as other temples are. There are lotus motifs & some human figures.  One must not fail to notice DEVI SARASWATI & the woman carrying a pitcher. The sculptors put life to the bricks.

     Beauty of the creation of Hambir lies in its hugeness. Raas Mancha,24.5 m on each side & 12.5 m in height is really awe-inspiring.

      This temple didn't house any idol permanently. During Raas utsav (dance festival of RADHA-KRISHNA) idols were brought here from other temples & raas was celebrated in glorious manner.

RAAS MANCHA

      

            SHYAM RAY TEMPLE (PANCH CHURA MANDIR)

            Shyam ray is another name of SHRI KRISHNA. This temple is an example of pancha ratna (পঞ্চ রত্ন ) style as it has five turrets or pinnacles on the roof. Each pinnacle is called ratna. This is the only pancha ratna temple in Bishnupur at present.

            Raghunath Singh was, according to many the best king of Bishnupur.  He was excellent in art of warfare, administration & urban planning.  Like father Bir Hambir, he also was a Vaishnav devotee. Raghunath built a number of temples.  Shyam Ray in 1643 was one of them.

            The temple has the finest terracotta works.  Pillars, walls, pinnacles, every inch have beautiful embellishments.  The terracotta blocks showcase various scenes from the epics. Raas leela is captivating. The floral designs are like painting on burnt soil !  Curvature of the creepers, small leaves on them etc. are  unbelievably beautiful.

SHYAM RAY TEMPLE

RAAS LEELA

                   JOR BANGLA

                    Jor Bangla, an architectural masterpiece was built by Raghunath Singh in 1655. It is a classic example of Bengal's chala (hut) style of architecture. The Bengalis have a rare quality of churning out the beauty of simplicity. That's why the artists used ordinary huts of rural Bengal as their source of inspiration & created such beautiful temples.

                    Jor Bangla consists of two temples.On the same platform, stand  two adjoining hut-like temples which look like identical twins. On the top is another hut-like structure, much smaller, which holds the temples together. This 1/2 structure has made Jor Bangla unique. 

                    Like Shyam Ray, Jor Bangla is also embellished with numerous terracotta reliefs. Naval troop with fire arms deserves a special mention.  Bishnupur is situated far from coastal belt. But that couldn't dissuade Bishnupuris from imagining & carving various items associated with sea !  

                   On some tiles there are lovely ladies with beautiful hair-do, khejur beni (in bengali) where the tresses look like date palm ( khejur) leaves tied together while used in a mat. This visual effect was created on soil impeccably ! 

                 

JOR BANGLA

TROOP WITH FIRE ARMS

KHEJUR BENI

THE LADY'S FACE HAS BEEN DAMAGED, BUT THE TRESSES ARE INTACT

     
         

                KALACHAND TEMPLE

                 Raghunath Singh built Kalachand Temple in 1656. This Temple doesn't have the finery of  Raghunath's other creations like Shyam Ray & Jor Bangla. 

                 Kalachand Temple has other differences also.  Laterite stones replaced terracotta bricks as building materials. Most of the reliefs showcase various events of SHRI KRISHNA's life. Common man is remarkably absent here.  And. the figures are larger than those in other temples.

KALACHAND TEMPLE

KALIYA DAMAN (KILLING OF DEADLY SNAKE KALIYA BY LITTLE KRISHNA)

                               

                       

                   MADAN MOHAN TEMPLE

                    

                   Bir Singha Dev, son of Raghunath Singh was a tyrant. His second wife wanted her biological son to ascend the throne. So, she asked the king to kill her stepsons. Bir Singha, a ruthless & henpecked man, didn't think twice before killing her two sons. The youngest son was spared thanks to the executioner. He sheltered the little boy & brought him up to a bright young man, Durjan Singh.  The king & the queen were told the little boy had been killed in the forest.

                   Destiny had planned otherwise. Bir Singha's son from second marriage died before ascending the throne, failing his parents' conspiracy.  Then Durjan Singh became the new king.

                   Durjan Singh was one of the excellent rulers of Malla dynasty.  He  brought back the glory of Bishnupur. He patronized art & culture.People lived happily. Durjan Singh was  an obedient servant of LORD KRISHNA. He built Madan Mohan Temple in 1694.

                    

                   The brick-made ek ratna ( single pinnacle) temple is one of the major attractions of Bishnupur.  The idols of SHI RADHA & KRISHNA are housed in the temple & daily worship is performed.  

                   The temple is ornamented with numerous beautiful terracotta reliefs. Floral designs are dominant. Inside the temple there is a set of floral motifs where each flower is different from other. Social life of people is also sculpted. Bishnupur was an abode of music. This is evident in the reliefs in most of the temples. Such was the superiority of the sculptors that the motion of the dancing figures became palpable.

                   There are nat mandir (music room) & vog mandir (kitchen) in the temple premises. The latter is still in the use.

ENTRANCE TO MADAN MOHAN TEMPLE ( CHALA)

MADAN MOHAN TEMPLE

FLOWERS ON INNER WALL

                      

                         LAAL BUNDH

                   

                         Durjan Singh's son Raghunath Singh II was a worshipper of music. He fell head over heels in love with the Muslim courtesan , Laal Bai.  He started ignoring his family & royal duty.  He became obsessed with the gifted singing & the singer both. Even, Laal Bai bore his baby.

                         Raghunath was killed by his wife & Laal Bai was drowned in laal bundh where she would spend beautiful evenings in a luxurious boat with her lover. Her baby boy was rescued & brought up by the guru of the royal family.

                          Laal Bundh is now a must-see in Bishnupur. It has become the symbol of love. It tells the story of three pained souls who were both wronged & wrong-doer.

                         

LAAL BUNDH ( In the western parts of Bengal, lakes are called ' bundh')