Site Name: Bishnupur.
Site Type: Temples.
Location: Bishnupur is a town and a municipality in Bankura District in the state
of West Bengal, India. Bishnupur is located at 23°05′N 87°19′E.
Nearest Railway Station: Bishnupur.
Nearest Airport: Kolkata (180 km) is the nearest airport to Bishnupur.
How to Reach:
By
bus, road or train from Kolkata.
By
bus - Calcutta State Transport Corporation (CSTC) and South Bengal State
Transport Corporation (SBSTC) buses ply regularly between Dharmatala/ Esplanade
bus stand of Kolkata and Bishnupur. It takes about 4-5 hours to reach
Bishnupur.The road distance is shorter than the rail distance, it is about 150
km.
By
road - From Kolkata travel to Dankuni, take the Durgapur Expressway, at
Ratanpur crossing turn left and take the Sheoraphuli-Tarakeswar road, go straight
through to Arambagh and Bishnupur.
By
train - It takes about 3:30 to 4:15 hours from Kolkata, distance 201 km.
Convenient connections - Rupashi Bangla Express departing Howrah at 6 am,
Purulia Express departing Howrah at 4.45 pm and Aranyak Express departing
Shalimar at 7.45 am. To come by Aranyak Express from Howrah to Bishnupur,1st
one has to come at Santragachi by local train & then by Aranyak Express.All
these trains are via Kharagpur,Midnapur. You can also opt for
Howrah-Chakradharpur passenger which leaves Howrah at 23:05 hrs. This train has
sleeper class provision. 
Other
option, come at Kharagpur/Midnapur/Bardhman/Durgapur by train form Howrah.Then
by bus.
One
can also take a bus to Midnapore or Arambag and then change over to another
local bus to Bishnupur which are more or less frequently available every 30 -
45 minutes. Arambag is about 3 hours and Midnapore about 3 1/2 hours by bus
from Bishnupur.
The
nearest commercial airport is at Kolkata.
From
other places -
- By bus from Tarakeshwar
- By bus from Durgapur
- By train from Kharagpur
- By bus from Bardhman
- By train from Asansol
Hotel:
Hotel Laxmi Park with AC & Non AC
Rooms (39 Room) @ 200,300,450,700,800,900,1100,1300,1800 as single, Double,
three and four bed with a restaurant food as indian, chainess, tandur, with
room service. ICICI Bank and SBI ATM available (3244) 256353/256377, +91
9474930666. Although the hotel has good infrastructure, the behavior of the
staff leaves much to be desired.
Bishnupur Lodge (Tourist Lodge) of West
Bengal Tourism (near rash mancha). Double bed,4 bed and dormitories available
here.Rooms Rs. 600 and AC-1400, 2000. Dormitory Rs. 100. Contact +91 (3244) 252
013, +91(3244) 253 561, +91 9732100950.
Tourist Lodge
Monalisa Lodge Rs 250-500.+91 98310
31895. This is at a walking distance from the bus stand and roughly opposite
SBI off Jadubhatta Mancha crossing.
- Hotel Bishnupur Rs. 200-500. Telephone +91 (3244) 252 243
- Bishnupur Lodge (private hotel) Rs. 200-500. Telephone +91 (3244) 253 749
- Meghmallar Rs. 200-500. Telephone +91 (3244) 252 258 is located bang on the bus stand.
- Pourasabha Parytakabas Re. 250-500. Telephone +91 (3244) 252 200
- Udayan Lodge College Road, Rs. 250-600 (3244) 252243. This is just beside the Government Tourist Lodge and is PROBABLY also known as Hotel Bishnupur if one is not mistaken
- Dev & Dev Lodge Balipara (Rabindra Statue) Contact - +919434392072
- Mallabhum Lodge Rasikgang(Near Bus Stand) Contact - +919434224896, Ph:-03244-252765
Some new lodges and hotels have come
up/ are coming up near (about 150 metres away and towards the station on the
main road from) the Government Tourist Lodge as seen in August 2012 and they
are in the range of Rs. 200 - Rs. 500. The "Lodges" off the bus stand
are usually economic staying places used mainly by touring professionals/sales
representatives and may not always be suitable for families or a couple. One
such lodge is Mallabhum Lodge, beside Meghamallar Lodge. They have no in house
food kitchen system currently (Aug'12).
From the railway station the Government
Tourist Lodge is about 3.5 kms (Rs. 35 - 40 rickshaw fare) and the bus stop is
about 2 kms (Rs. 20 - 25 by rickshaw) as found in VIII/12.
History:
Bishnupur
was ruled under the Gupta period by local Hindu kings who paid tribute to
Samudra Gupta[citation needed]. Following a long period of obscurity, where the
land oscilated between being a minor independent principality and a vassal
state . The land is also called Mallabhum after the Malla rulers of this place.
The Malla rulers were Vaishnavites and built the famous terracotta temples
during the 17th and 18th century at this place. The terracotta temples here are
the best specimen of the classical style of Bengal architecture. The legends of
Bipodtarini Devi are associated with Malla Kings of Bishnupur.
Bishnupur
(the distance from Kolkata is 132 km), now the headquarters of the subdivision
of the same name in Bankura district, is a seat of crafts and culture.
For
almost a thousand years it was the capital of the Malla kings of Mallabhum, of
which Bankura was a part, till their power waned during the times when Mughal
Empire weakened under the last monarchs of the dynasty.
The
patronage of Malla king Veer Hambir and his successors Raja Raghunath Singha
and Veer Singha made Bishnupur one of the principal centres of culture in
Bengal. Most of the exquisite terracotta temples for which town is justly
famous were built during this period.
Apart
from the unique architecture of the period, Bishnupur is also famous for its
terracotta craft and its own Baluchari sarees made of tussar silk.
Royal
patronage also gave rise to Bishnupur Gharana (school) of Hindustani classical
music and the Bishnupur school of painting.
Festivals and
fairs:
There
is a snake festival in August, Ultorath and the Bishnupur fair in December.Also
durga puja and kali puja or diwali is celebrated with pomp here.
Look: 
Bishnupur
being a temple town, the focus is on temples, all built of terracota during the
reign of the Malla kings, who ruled over the area prior to the arrival of the
British. Please note that Archaeological Survay of India (ASI) maintains most
of the sites of Bishnupur. So it levies a minimum entry fee for the sites. The
amountis Rs 5 for Indian citizens and Rs 100 (Probably) for foreigners. It also
levies a fee for video photography (still photography is free). The good thing
is that with a single ticket, one can visit all the sites of Bishnupur
maintained by ASI. The counter is located near the entrance of Rash Mancha. So
it is better to start from Rash Mancha. The sights other than temples are also
listed below:
Temples:
- Jorbangla Temple of Keshta Rai - Built by King Raghunath Singha Dev II in the 17th century. The ornate terracotta carvings are set off by the roof in the classic chala style of Bengal architecture.
- Shyamrai Temple
- Nandalal Temple
- Radhamadhab Temple
- Kalachand Temple
- Radhagovinda Temple
- Sarbamangala
- Shyamrai Temple or Pancha Ratna Temple of Shyam Rai - Built in 1643 by King Raghunath Singha. The walls are richly decorated with terracotta carvings featuring aspects of Lord Krishna’s life. It is one of the largest temples.
- Krishna-Balaram Temple
- Mrinmoyee Temple
- Radhashyam Temple
- Madanmohan Temple- King Durjana Singh Deva built the temple in 1694 AD in the ekaratna style, a square flat-roofed building with carved cornices, surmounted by a pinnacle. Impressive carvings on the walls depict scenes from the Ramayana, Mahabharata and the Puranas.
- Madanmohan Temple
- Malleswar
- Sanreswar
- Radhalaljiu Temple
- Madangopal Temple
- Chhinnamasta Temple
- Jugol Kishore Temple
- Mahapravu Temple
- Radhalaljiu
Other places:
- Rasmancha - Oldest brick structure. Built in 1587 by Bir Hambir is a pyramidal structure in the centre of the town, where the deities from the other temples are brought in a procession on the occasion of the Rasa Festival. There are some cannons of the Malla kings in the area.
- Rasmancha
- Dalmadal Caman - supposed to have protected Bishnupur when the Bargis (Maratha warriors) attacked from the west.
- Lalbandh
- Gumgarh - the place of no return.
- Pathar Darja (Main Gateway of Bishnupur)
- Garh Darja (Small Gateway of Bishnupur)
- Stone Chariot
- Nutan Mahal
- The memorial of Shreenibas Acharya
Most
of these awe inspiring and wonderful work of art in terracota have been lost
out of sheer neglect, antique theft and vagaries of the weather over centuries.
Some are protected and cared for now and protected as noticed. It is best to
hire a rickshaw and go about visiting them as nearly all are within a diameter
of 4 kms. Takes about 3 hours to see most of them. Ideal time to visit would be
during the cooler climes as generally Bishnupur is a hot place and was pretty
uncomfortable during a visit Aug '12 though there was moderately good rainfall.
Information:
- Department of Tourism, Government of West Bengal 2, Brabourne Road Kolkata - 700 001 Phone: +91-33-2225-4565/8183/4723-25 Fax:+91-33-2225-4565 E-mail: dtwbtour@vsnl.net
- Tourism Centre, 3/2 B.B.D. Bag (East) Kolkata - 700 001 Phone: +91-33-2248 8271/5168 2210-3199, 2243-7260 Fax: +91-33-2248 5168
- Tourism Centre, M-4 Building, Hill Cart Road Siliguri, Dist: Darjeeling Ph: +91-353-2511974, 2511979, Telefax: +91-353-2517561
- West Bengal Tourism Office, 1, Nehru Road, Darjeeling 734101 (WB) Phone: +91-354-2254050/2254102
- West Bengal Tourism Office, State Emporia Building (1st floor) Baba Kharak Singh Marg New Delhi - 110 001 Phone: +91-11-2374 2840
- West Bengal Information Bureau, West Bengal Youth Hostel, 18, Wallajah Road, Chennai Phone: +91-44-2841 1046
- West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation Ltd, Netaji Indoor Stadium Kolkata - 700 021 Phone; +91-33-2248 7302/8256/8242/7318/9416, 2210 3194 Fax: +91-33-2248 8290 E-mail: wbtdc@cal2.vsnl.net.in
Make:
It is also a great centre for music - the Bishnupur gharana
is well known in classical music. Look out for opportunities, check where you
stay, if you are an Indian classical music fan.
Shop:
- Bankura Horse- now the symbol of Indian handicrafts - available both in the terracota and wood versions.
- Baluchari Saris- another famous Bishnupur product. Traditionall woven with Ramayana and Mahabharata symbols but modern versions are also available.
- Conch shell beads and items.
- '"New Krishna Cloth Store'" Chawk Bazar Bishnupur, Collection Of Baluchari Sarees
There are plenty of shops you can walk into, but in case you
are unable to locate one, here is a short guide: 1) Terracota Crafts, Dalmadal
Road. 2) Shri Hari Sankha Bhandar, Shankharipara. 3) Maa Durga Sankha Bhandar,
Shankharipara, 4) Silk Khadi Seva Mandlal in the Baltala area sells silks.
Food:
Bishnupur is a small town. One can find various small
eateries in and around the temples as well as near the main bus stand. However,
one should try Posto-r Bora, if you visit Bishnupur You may also try various
fried food like Chicken Chops & pakodas, several other "chops"
made from potato, brinjal etc., chicken rolls, chow mein etc. which is good,
filling and tasty as snacks in a small shop (of about 100 sq. ft/10 sq. mtr) on
the right hand side, between Hotel Laxmi Park and SBI which is a 50 metre strip,
just after you cross Hotel Monalisa keeping it to your left, near a crossing
with traffic lights 30 metres off Jadubhatta Mancha (or auditorium); the
quality of cooking medium used is good. Also promise you never forget the taste
of Sweets Near Sibdas Girls school prepared from pure Ghee. If you want a
simple bengali lunch with posto bora, Hotel Monalisa is the place to go.
Drink:
Hard drinks are generally available in the hotels.
Near by Places:
- Bahulara - 25 km. from Bishnupur, it is famous for the Siddheswar Siva temple.
- Dihar – 8 km from Bishnupur, it is famous for the Saileswar temple, about nine hundred years old.
- Panchmura – about 10 km from Bishnupur, the village where they make the famous terracotta horses.
- Jairambati and Kamarpukur - 43 km. from Vishnupur are Jairambati and Kamarpukur, birthplaces of Sri Ma Saradamoui and Sri Ramakrishna Pramahansa. Near Kamarpukur is the historic Garh Mandaran, made famous by Bankim Chandra chatterjee.
- Mukutmanipur - about 83 km from Bishnupur, by the side of the river Kangsabati. The main attraction is the dam across the river and the hilly landscape. Places of stay: Tourist Lodge and a Youth Hostel and a private hotel. Hotel Amravati and Shonajhuri are two more hotels there.
- Bankura - 30 km from Vishnupur, the district headquarters town.
- Susunia Pahar - one of the important hills in the district, rising abruptly from the neighbouring plains to a height of 44 metres. Stone inscriptions of Chandravarma, a 4th century king, have been discovered here. From Bankura on the Bankura-Purulia road, one has to alight at Chhatna on the 13th km. Susunia is 7 km. north of Chhatna.
- Biharinath
Directions kolkata to Bishnupur 137km in Google Satellite
