About

Bishnupur is a town in the Bankura district of West Bengal, known for its temples made of terracotta. These temples were built under the aegis of the Malla dynasty. Adi Malla established the Malla dynasty. Jagat Malla, the 10th Malla king shifted his kingdom to Bishnupur. Raja Jagat Malla and his descendants built numerous temples made of terracotta and stone. Due to unavailability of stone in Bengal, burnt clay bricks came to be used as a substitute by the architects of Bengal. The art of terracotta buildings and figurines reached its peak during the seventeenth century.

The temples in Bishnupur are in two clusters - the northern one has the Rasmancha, Shyamrai Temple, Lalji Temple, Radhashyam temple, Jod Bangla Temple, and the Garh Dorja; while the southern cluster has the Nandlal Temple, Radhagobind Temple, Radhamadhab Temple, Kalachand Temple, and the Jod Shreni complex. Other structures such as the Madanmohan Temple, Radha Binod Temple, Muralimohan Temple, etc. are scattered around other parts of the town.

The Rasmancha was built in the 17th century by King Hambir, although the exact date is not known. It is a square brick structure built on a laterite plinth of about 24m. It has a truncated pyramidal roof. There is a small central shrine, with three circumambulatory corridors surrounding it. The corridors are each about 48 inches wide, and the square columns separating the corridors are also about 48 inches wide. The columns of the outer two corridors are elaborate in design, while the innermost columns are plain rectangular columns. A triple-arched facade exists on all four sides. The central shrine is approached through a central arched opening on the south side.
The building was used for putting up idols from other temples on the occasion of the Ras festival every year.


The Gorh Dorja used to be the gateway of the fort that stood at the entrance of the Bishnupur Royal Kingdom. It is about 80m north of the Lalji Temple. It is a laterite structure, provided with a battlemented parapet. There is a pathway with rooms on both sides which were presumably used for the check-post or custom house before entering the city. The rooms are on two levels, with one slightly below the street level. The arched doorways to the rooms stand on sturdy columns with geometrical designs. An arched passage leads the visitor under the parapet and into the city.
A smaller gate stands about 60m north-west of the Great Fort Gate. This gateway was an archway that extended from South to North, with a heavily battlemented parapet on the east and west. There is a stairway on one side of the pathway passing through the gate which can be used to access the parapet above. However, it starts above head height, requiring a ladder to access the stairs.

The Lalji Temple is an Eka-Ratna temple built of laterite on a square plinth. It has a slightly curved roof on which stands the single tower. This tower is Sapta-Ratha in plan with rigid rekha turrets capped by a round amalaka and kalasha. The temple has triple-arched gateways on three sides. The square-shaped sanctum has single-arched openings on the south and east sides, and a staircase on the western side. The dome-shaped ceiling and vaulted porch are key features of this temple. The upper shrine chamber is open on all four sides with a single arched gateway. The four corners of the temple are decorated with five series of horizontal double lines.
The temple stands within a gated complex. It has a Natamancha in front, and a Bhog kaksha on the left.
This temple was built in 1658 by King Virasingha.

The Radhashyam Temple is an Eka-Ratna temple, built in laterite. It has a square plinth, a curved roof with a single tower above. The laterite walls are covered with lime plaster known as "pankha" to create exquisite geometric and floral designs. Two rows of stucco figures set up within square blocks are fixed along the side walls and the lower part of the cornice. Similar decorations can also be seen along the sides of the three arched openings. The inner portion of the three-arched porch are also richly decorated. The front wall of the sanctum is decorated with scenes from the Ramayana and figures of Vishnu in the Ananta-shayana pose. The dominant theme on the walls are recurring images of Radha and Krishna.
As per an inscription on the walls of the temple, it was erected in 1758 by Chaitanya Malla.

The Jor Bangla Temple was established by Malla king Raghunath Singh in 1655. Traditionally known as Kestaraya, this south-facing temple has unique structural features and exquisite terra cotta embellishments. was established by Malla king Raghunath Singh in 1655. The temple has a "Do Chala" shape. The temple has a roof with double-sided curved thatch, known as porch and shrine respectively, joined together. The outer dochala serves as the porch, and the inner one as the sanctum. The two "dochalas" joined longitudinally make for a unique structural architecture. A small "char-challa", a brick replica of a four-sided roofed hut marks the joint. The timber frame on which the dochalas rest has been translated into terra cotta, too.
A stucco figure of a six-armed Shri Chaitanya is placed against the back wall of the sanctum on a high pedestal. The terra cotta panels on the walls of the temple depict scenes from Mahabharata, Ramayana, Krishna's childhood. Among the scenes depicted on the temple walls, one can find scenes of sea-faring boats, the story of Arjuna's arrow piercing the earth to bring forth water to quench Bhishma's thirst as he lay on his bed of arrows, Krishna slaying Bakasura, and battle scenes showing warriors on chariots. Elaborate and delicate geometric and floral designs fill the borders and interstices of the panels depicting this story, rendering the entire temple into a breath-taking spectacle from tip to toe.

The Shyam Rai Temple was built by King Raghunath Singh in 1643, is popularly known as "Panch-chura" temple owing to its five pinnacles. The temple has triple arched passages on all four sides. It has terracotta art-panels on both interior and exterior walls. Scenes based on religious themes dominate along with a few scenes depicting social events, such as a Hunt. A giant Raschakra depicting various forms of 'Radha-Krishna Lila with the Gopikas' is a highlight of the temple.

The Radhamadhab Temple was built in 1737, by Chudamani Devi, the consort of King Krishna Singha. It is a laterite temple of Eka-Ratna style. The triple-arched opening on the south gives access to an oblong corridor. The eastern wall of the temple has another corridor with a three-arched opening. The base of the temple is decorated with images of birds, animals, geometric and floral patterns as well as tales from the puranas. A number of decorations on the walls of the temple are dedicated to Krishna-lila scenes and depictions of Vishnu's Dasavatara incarnations, with floral patterns occupying the borders and interstitial spaces.
There is a bhoga mandapa of the dochala style within the temple complex.

The Kalachand Temple is a short distance from the Radhamadhab temple. It is a laterite temple of Eka-Ratna style. It stands on a low platform. It has a corridor on al sides with three-arched openings on all four sides. It has a single tower with a saptha-ratha plan rising from the center of the curved roof. The tower has an amalaka and a kalasha on top. The decorative elements of this temple are mainly low-relief carvings depicting Krishna lila, along with other mythological figures. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is also depicted on the panel on the left frontal wall.
This temple was built in 1656 under the patronage of King Raghunath Singha.

The Radha Gobinda Temple is an east-facing temple, of Eka-Ratna style built on a square plinth. The temple is made of laterite. The single tower rises from the center of the curved roof and is topped by an amalaka and a kalash. The temple has a triple-arched facade with an oblong corridor right behind it. The entire front wall and the wall beneath the curved cornice are embellished with bas relief decoration. There is a small brick-built chariot in the grounds of the temple.
This temple was built in 1726 during the reign of Krishna Singha.

The Nandalal Temple was built towards the end of the end of the 18th century. It has a laterite plinth. It is a south-facing Eka-Ratna temple. The ornamentation on this temple is limited to the space available by the three-arched openings. Unusually, this temple has no foundation.

The Jorshreni Temples or Joramandir Temples are a group of three Eka-Ratna temples built in the eighteenth century. These temples are made of laterite and stand on a raised, square plinth. The two temples on the north and south are almost identical and larger in size than the third temple which lies between these two. The central temple is the most elaborately decorated temple of the three, with stucco work depicting scenes from the Ramayana and Krishna's life.
The temple on the North was built by Gopalsimha and his wife Dhvajamani Devi in 1726.

The Madanmohan Temple was built by Durjana Singh in 1694. It is a brick temple built on a large laterite plinth to enshrine the tutelary deity of the Malla kings. The temple walls are embellished by richly decorated terra cotta plaques. The temple has a covered porch, and triple-arched openings on the East, South, and West. It has a single tower on a sloping roof. The facade of the temple depicts scenes from Krishna's life, dancers, and ascetics. On the other three sides, the arches are fitted with plaques containing figures surrounded by rich floral ornamentation. The foot of the columns upon which the arches rest have martial scenes, while the lower panels are covered with floral and faunal designs, as well as scenes from mythological stories.

The Mrinimoyee Temple was established by King Jagat Malla in 997 AD. The temple is dedicated to Maa Durga in her form as Mrinimoyee and is well known for its Durga Puja Festival. It is an actively used temple.

Architecture

Construction of the terracotta temple consists of a brick masonry core. In case of the walls, the brick core is made of horizontally laid bricks followed by a layer of lime plaster, on which baked terracotta panels are then affixed.

Bricks are also laid horizontally on stretchers for roofing system of vaults and domes. For construction of arches the bricks are cut out in tapering manner to form voussoirs, the curved brick also aids in making vaults and swelled cornices.

Major construction materials used in the construction of terra cotta structures are fired bricks and lime mortar. Lime mortar used to be created by processing snail shells and for roofing a very hard traditional plaster was used.

In some cases the decorative terracotta panels were embedded in the wall. Different shapes of bricks are also used in making contours and surface modulations in facade and contours.

Terracotta temples are divided into four categories as per their structure style and not the construction style - Chala, Ratna, Deul and Dalan. Popularly seen hut style temples have two variations - the Chala and Bangla styles. This style is influenced by the huts of Bengal. Chala temples consist of a sloping roof joined at the curvilinear edges and ending in arched cornices.

Variations in this style involve increasing the number of chalas or modifying their formation. The Do Chala style has a roof sloping on two sides with a ridge at the top. The Jor Bangla style is composed of twin Dochala attached to each other.

The pinnacle tower on top of the roof marks the style of the temple. Each tower is considered a temple in its own right. The towers are generally present in odd numbers. Name of the temple type changes as per the number of towers such as Ek-ratna (single-spired) and Pancha-ratna (five-spired), and naba-ratna (nine-spired).