Bishnupur – The Terracotta Town ON AUG 01, 2014

Few across India know of the beautiful terracotta temples of Bishnupur. Our reader Prabir Sen writes about his visit and the need to preserve such heritage structures. 

We visited Bishnupur in West Bengal in September 2013. For those who do not know, Bishnupur is a town in the Bankura district of West Bengal and is famously known as Temple town, for its terracotta temples and art work. Its Terracotta Horse is especially famous, as are the Baluchari Sarees, that are woven here.

We travelled by the Rupashi Bangla to Bishnupur. The train starts from Santragachi station in Kollata at 6.25 AM and reaches Bishnupur at around 9.45 AM. Once in Bishnupur, you can use a cycle rickshaw to move around, although cars and autos are also available. The manager of our hotel Udayan Lodge suggested a rickshaw as we needed to cover an area of four to five kilometres and the temples are located in narrow lanes, making this the most suitable form of transport.

Shyam Rai Temple

Bishnupur Temples were built by Malla King Bir Hambir from 1586-1621. He was inspired by the Vaishnav culture and started the construction of temples, making them one of the best specimens of Bengal architecture.

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Bishnupur temples are made from local laterite and bricks and present a beautiful sight.Our first visit was to Rasmancha, one of the oldest temples located at the center of the town. The temples are maintained by the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) and you can purchase a ticket from them to see all. Apart from the Rasmancha, we also visited the Madan Mohan Temple, Shyamrai Temple or Pancha Chura, Jor Bangla Kestorai Temple and the Radheshyam Temple. We also saw the Dal Madal Canon.

Madan Mohan Temple

Dal Madal Canon

The terracotta art works depict scenes from Ramayana and Mahabharata like marriage of Rama, story of Lakhsman and Surpanakha, Krishna’s childhood, scenes of Krishna Lila, various hunting scenes, scenes from raschakra and so on.

It took us around four hours to complete the trip. However, if you wish to study the art works in detail, give yourself at least two days on hand. Unfortunately, there are many other temples which are in very bad shape while some are totally ruined. Artworks have also been lost or stolen and some remain inaccessible due to lack of maintenance and neglect. Some of these temples are Jugol Kishore Krishna Balaram Temple, Mahaprabhu Temple, Laljiu Temple and Bishnupur Fort.

You cannot wrap up a trip to Bishnupur without visiting the famous Baluchari Saree weaving unit and shop a few sarees of your choice. Other shopping attractions are the terracotta horse and other items.

A wonderful specimen of traditional Bengali architechture,Bishnupur makes for an ideal weekend destination, especially for those living in Kolkata. Do try a visit when you are nearby or include it in your itinerary when you travel to West Bengal.