Vaishnav Culture of Bishnupur, West Bengal
Vaishnav Culture & Major Temples of Bishnupur, Bengal. Madan Gopal Temple Deities From around 7th century AD till around the advent of British rule, for around a millennium, history of Bankura district is identical with the rise and fall of the Hindu Rajas of Bishnupur. The ancient Rajas of Bishnupur trace back their history to a time when Hindus were still reigning in Delhi, and the name of the Muslims was not yet heard in India. Indeed, they could already count five centuries of rule over the western frontier tracts of Bengal before Bakhtiyar Khalji arrived. Adi Malla was the founder of the Malla dynasty. In 695 AD, a prince of one of the royal families of northern India made a pilgrimage with his wife to the Jagannath temple at Puri. He left his wife who was about to give birth to a child in the care of a Brahmin here. The wife gave birth to a son. When he was 15 years old he had no equal as a wrestler in the territory all around. It was this that earned him the name of Adi