Bishnupur: The city of Terracotta temple

Travel Blog by Malay Kumar

Bishnupur is a wonderful place to visit. This city is famous for the Terracotta temple. Considering the high temperature, summer may be a problem, so, I, therefore, feel winter is the best option to visit Bishnupur. Not too far (about 200 km by train) from Kolkata. From Howrah station, you can easily pick up a train, and it will take nearly 3-4 hours to reach your destination.

Let's talk about some important location in Bishnupur...

Mrinmoyee Temple is one of the major sites in Bishnupur. While it was known as the oldest temple in Bishnupur, but now you will locate this old temple with a new structure. The Malla King, Jagat Malla founded this temple after transferring his capital to Bishnupur. When you are in this part of West Bengal, it is a must-visit site.

After buying a ticket, you can start your journey from Rasmancha to visit all the temples. Then you will find Madan Mahon Temple, Radheshyaam Temple, Shyama Rai Temple, Jor Bangla Mandir, Nandalal Temple, Mrinmoyee Temple, and many more. To travel the sites, you can book a small car or rickshaw (Toto) and it will take nearly 4-5 hours to cover almost every major sites. You will find the touch of terracotta in almost every temple.

There is also a place called Dalmadal para, where you will find Dalmadal Kaman, an iron cannon manufactured and are used by the Malla Kings in the ancient times. There are two other temples as well, one is Chinnamasta Mandir, which is next to Dalmadal Kaman and the other one is Sarbamangala Mandir near Lalbandh, an artificial lake.

The Archeological Survey of India holds all these temples in perfect condition. But there are also many places like Jugal-Kishore (Krishna Balaram) temple, Mahaprabhu temple (similar to Jor Bangla), Malleswar temple, Radha-Vinod temple, Lalbai Mahal (behind Kumartaki Cinema Hall), Gumghar etc remaining and due to a maintenance issue, they are not in good condition. Gumghar is not a temple, it is a big square room without any entrance (not even window). Some people said it was a room of punishment for those who commit a crime. According to some others, it was a granary.

Baluchuri Saree is another attraction of the city. A lot of people come to buy this traditional saree here. In every winter, the Bishnupur Mela held as a celebration of the cultural richness of the region. Also, in June-July Rath Yatra is another attraction in Bishnupur. 

Must-visit sights inside Bishnupur:

Terracotta temples, Mrinmoyee temple etc. 

Must-visit sights outside Bishnupur:

Mukutmanipur Dam, Jairambati, Kamarpukur and many more.