Rediscover Bishnupur Terracotta Temples, West Bengal

 

Tips to Tour Terracotta Temples of Bishnupur

As soon as you reach there local guides will be flocking around you, which may seem irritating, but I tell you hire one; it is worth the money you will spend on them. They have such a lot of info, which is hard to find in one single book.

Getting hold of a good map and finding the temples on your own can be adventure, but if you are facing time crunch guides are best people to help you out. When I toured in 2013, there was no good map showing the distribution of temples scattered all around so my guide was really helpful.

Insist that they include some of the popular bandhs (water tanks) and Dal madal caman (a cannon built by Mallas to fight the Marathas from south) in their guided tour.

Radhagobinda Temple

Radhagobinda temple, this ‘laterite Ekratna’ temple was built in 1729 during the reign of Krishna Singha. The temple has square base with curved roof and surmounted by Shikhara at the top.

Bishnupur Terracotta Temples

Radhagobinda Temple – laterite Ekratna temple

Why Terracotta Temples?

Terracotta has a shelf life of only 300 years, very less compared to the ones constructed with marble or granite stones. India possesses a wide range of stones that include granite, marble, sandstone, limestone, slate, and quartzite, in various parts of the country. However West Bengal doesn’t have such huge stone reserves. That explains why we don’t find temples built of stone in West Bengal.

During 16th century when there was scarcity of good construction materials like stone, the solution was terracotta. River Ganges flows through a good distance in Bengal, the banks are rich with clay. Local artisans resorted to using this clay for various purposes like idols and temples, besides other household stuffs. That explains the distribution of good number of terracotta temples along the alluvial delta of Ganges River where there is abundance of clay.

small brick chariot Bishnupur Terracotta Temples

A small brick chariot in the form of miniature temple

History of Terracotta Temples

Several temples were built by the prosperous Malla kings who ruled over their empire from here.

The construction of these temples spanned for four hundred years ago, between 17th and 18th century. Understandably these temples display diverse styles of Bengal architecture. A knowledgeable guide will explain these different styles to you very well.

The reign of Bir Singha Dev (1656 AD) witnessed construction of eight bandhs (tanks) and seven temples at Bishnupur. Over the next couple of centuries each king tried to surpass the other in the field of art. More temples were built and the vast plains here are dotted with as many as 30 terracotta temples, each with a different design.

In 1806 the East India Company took over. They distributed power to the local zamindars (landlords), since then the glory of Bishnupur faded away. Too bad, now they don’t make stuff like that any more!

Mix of Architectural Styles

The Bishnupur Terracotta temples are scattered there and treated like ordinary pebbles, which saddened me. They are precious gems! Look in any direction and you will see those shikharas. It is difficult to distinguish the temples or identify them by their names, but thanks to those boards put up there by West Bengal Tourism Board WBTB and Archeological Society of India ASI for some of those temples, it is a learning experience!

The Southern Group of temples is made of laterite. Here you will get to see interesting mix of architectural influences easily distinguishable from the type of roof. Single spires, curved roofs and arches, depict contemporary architectural styles of Odisha, West Bengal, and Persia respectively. Some of these are painted in lime others are bare-bricked.

Nandalal Temple

Another ek ratna laterite temple, originally it was plastered with lime, the remnants of which can still be seen.

Location of Bishnupur Terracotta Temples

Bishnupur temple town located in the Bankura district of West Bengal, India.

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