Bishnupur, now a sub-divisional town in the district of Bankura and 175 km from the Kolkata was once a buzzing capital of ancient Malla dynasty. It is not only famous for its wonderful terracotta temples but has a rich tradition of cultural heritage which has got its expression through the famous gharana of classical music. Musicians of Bishnupur gharana enriched the sphere of classical music all over northern India for generations. Apart from the temples and music, art and craft flourished under royal patronage at Bishnupur.

Bishnupur is now a place of tourist attraction. But it was never destined to be so. A subtle change in the mindset of Birhambir, once a tyrannical ruler at the time of the Mughal emperor, Akbar, changed the whole scenario and it became a place for offering prayers for the Vaishnays’. According to the legend Birhambir, who is regarded as the greatest king of the Malla dynasty was originally a ruthless ruler who thrived on robberies. In one such robbery in the forest of Bon-Bishnupur, the king came in contact with the renowned Vaishnava scholar of Shri Chaitanya cult, Srinivas Acharya. This sudden meeting transformed him into a follower of Vaishnavism and inspired him to propagate this religious belief by building temples of Vaishnavite deities. From his time, successive Malla rulers had built many temples in honour of Lord Krishna in different incarnations. Temples built by Hambir may not exist, but a magnificient relic of a pyramydical structure Ras-Mancha, built by him withstood the ravages of his time.

From the structural view point, the temples of Bishnupur can be classified into different groups such as ‘Duel’, ‘Chala’, and ‘Ratna’ styles. King Raghunath, successor of Hambir, built the temple of Syam-Rai, Kalachand and Jore-bangla, which depict the unique style of its architecture; the Lalji temple built by Bir Singha retains its original glory as a temple of ‘Ek Ratna’ style of architecture. His two wives most probably built two famous temples, namely Madan Gopal and Murli Mohan. Many of these temples are richly decorated with ornamental carvings which make them elegant and graceful.

Experts say the temples of Bishnupur represent the most complete set of specimens of the Bengal style of temple architecture. Bir Singha is still remembered as a benevolent ruler. He got eight large tanks excavated. These tanks locally known as bundhs still arouse interest not only in their pristine origin but also for the legends associated with each of them. Keeping the security of the capital in mind he built a huge fort. Though the fort stands ruined now, its entrance, a huge arched gate of laterite stone, still reminds one of the mighty ruler.

After Bir Singha, Durjan Singha, Raghunath Singha-II, Gopal Singha and last ruler Chaitanya Singha built various small temples. Historians say temple building was an obsession with the Malla kings. By this they tries to raise their social status. In between 16th and 19th centuries, the Malla rulers built many temples. According to a document of East India Company in 1789, there were 453 temples in and around Bishnupur.

One must not, however, concluded that the Malla kings excelled only in temple building and were devout Vaishnavites than rulers. Since the time of Birhambir the Malla kings fought many battles. They fortified the capital and manufactured indigenous firearms including canons. One large canon made of 63 hoops of wrought iron cylinders welded together and with a length of twelve and a half feet, still bears testimony to the military prowess of the Malla kings. One legend says that this canon named Dal-Madal or Dal-Mardan was fired by family deity of the Malla kings, Madan Mohan, to repulse the Maratha invaders or Bargis.

To attract tourists the Government of West Bengal organizes Bishnupur Mela in December every year which showcases the rich tradition of the place and its adjoining areas. The temple town of Bishnupur can be reached by bus from Kolkata, Durgapur and Kharagpur. The Howrah-Purulia Express, Delhi-Puri Neelachal Express and Cochin-Patna Express can also bring one to Bishnupur. Local train service is also available from Kharagpur. There are a quite number of hotels and lodges where accommodation is available at a reasonable charge.