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 Malla, the original or unique wrestler. He became a chieftain by the grace of Raja of Padampur,

He was succeeded by his son, Jay Malla, who invaded Padampur and captured the fort, then the power-centre. Jay Malla extended his domains and shifted his capital to Bishnupur. The subsequent kings steadily extended their kingdom.

Bir Hambir, the 49th ruler of the Malla dynasty who flourished around 1586 AD and ruled in 16th-17th century, was a contemporary of the Mughal emperor Akbar. But he perhaps paid tributes to Muslim viceroys. Bir Hambir was both powerful and pious. He was converted to strict Vaishnavism by Srinivasa.

There is mention in two Vaishnava works, Prem-vilasa of Nityananda Das (alias Balaram Das) and Bhakti Ratnakara of Narahari Chakrabarti, about Srinivasa and other bhaktas (devotees) being robbed by Bir Hambir, when they were travelling from Vrindavan to Gaur with a number of Vaishanava manuscripts. However, Bir Hambir was so moved by Srinivasa's reading of Bhagavata that he converted to Vaishnavism and gave Srinivasa a rich endowment of land and money. He introduced the worship of Madan Mohan in Bishnupur.

His decendents Raghunath Singha, Bir Singha, Durjan Singha, Gopal Singha Dev, Chaitanya Singha Dev etc were devotees of Krishna and so were the civilians. They made many temples in the kingdom.

The Bishnupur Rajas who were at the summit of their fortunes towards the end of the 17th century, started declining in the first half of the 18th century. First, the Maharaja of Burdwan and then the Maratha invasions laid waste their country.

Bishnupur offers beautiful Terracotta Temples from the 16th Century from the Malla Dynasty. Bishnupur derives its name from the Lord Vishnu. There are many such temples that stand testimony to the exquisite craftsmanship of the artisans of the region. The temples were crafted from the local laterite and brick. The temples are covered with terracotta tiles depicting scenes from the epic Mahabharata and Krishna Raas. The temples are located in Bishnupur and across many other small villages in the Bankura district.

Major Vaishnav Temples of Bishnupur, West Bengal.


Rasmancha	For Krishna	1600

Jor-Bangla Temple	For Krishna	1655

Pancha Ratna Shyamrai Temple	For Krishna	1643

Madanmohan Temple	For Krishna	1694

Lalji Temple	ForKrishna	1658

Radhya Shyam temple	For Krishna	1758

Nandalal Temple	For Krishna	17th Century

Radhavinod Temple	For Krishna	1659

Madangopal Temple	For Krishna	1665

Murulimohan Temple	For Krishna	1665

Radha Govinda Temple	For Krishna	1729

Radha Madhab Temple	For Krishna	1737

Krishna-Valaram Temple	For Krishna- Balram

Radha Vinod Temple	For Krishna	1659

Jor Mandir (Twin Temples)	For Krishna	1726