Bishnupur
Bishnupur at a glance
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Air
The closest airport is at Kolkata (about 190 km from Bishnupur and a four hours drive) and is connected by air with all the Metros in the country.
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Rail
Train services to Bishnupur are available from Kolkata, Howrah, Jamshedpur, etc.
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Road
There is frequent bus service to Bishnupur from Dharmatala bus stand of Kolkata. It is almost a 5 hour journey from Kolkata. You can hire a car from towns across West Bengal to reach Bishnupur.
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Rasmancha
The oldest brick temple in Bishnupur, Rasmancha has unique structure and is the only temple of its kind in India. Built by Malla King Bir Hambir in 1600 CE, the temple has only one chamber, the sanctum sanctorum, with an elongated tower encircled by turrets which are of hut shapes. It is enclosed by a passageway and there are some big cannons which date back to Malla period.
During the festival of Vaishnava Ras, all the idols of Radha Krishna of Bishnupur region used to be bought here to be worshipped by the people. The festival is no longer held now; it was held till 1932 and then stopped. Moreover, Rasmancha is no longer a temple today; it is a protected monument now. -
Jorebangla Temple
Built by Malla King Raghunath Singh during 1655 AD, this temple is one of the tourist places in Bishnupur town. The temple has an appearance of two thatched huts joined together and surmounted by a single tower. The temple’s roofs and walls have classical Chala style of architecture and the terracotta works on the walls are simply magnificent.
A plenty of terracotta panels are set on the walls and rooms of the temple and some carved designs on the temple displays the Royal lifestyles, stories depicting the epics and historical scenes. This ancient structure built using laterite bricks is a worth visiting site in Bishnupur town. -
Lalji Temple
This laterite eka-ratna temple was built in 1658 by Bir Singha II of Malla dynasty. The temple is one of the famous temples built by Malla kings in Bishnupur. The deity worshipped here are Sri Krishna and Radhika. The temple is constructed on a square raised plinth, which consists of ornamental stucco decorations on low relief carvings.
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Madan Mohan Temple
This eka-ratna temple was built by Malla King Durjana Singh Dev in late 17th century. Considered to be one of the oldest temples in Bishnupur, it has a square flat roof with curved cornices and a pinnacle over the top. Stories of the Ramayana, Mahabharata and the Puranas can be depicted from the wonderfully carved walls of the temple.
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Radha Shyam Temple
This eka-ratna temple was built by Malla King Durjana Singh Dev in late 17th century. Considered to be one of the oldest temples in Bishnupur, it has a square flat roof with curved cornices and a pinnacle over the top. Stories of the Ramayana, Mahabharata and the Puranas can be depicted from the wonderfully carved walls of the temple.
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Dal Madol Canon
The cannon named as Dal Madol was built by the Malla kings to fight the Maratha invasion. This Cannon is near Chinomasta temple and is significant for the people of Bishnupur as well as Bengal. The cannon measures about 3.8 m in length and has a barrel of 28.5 cms. It was built in the year 1742 under Raja Gopal Singh to protect Bishnupur from Marathas. The Cannon is built with iron materials and doesn’t have any rust, though it is exposed to rain and sun since 18th century.