Bishnupur, a historical & culturally enriched town of Bankura district of West Bengal. It is well known to the tourists & travellers, specially who are interested to see the historical sites, archaeological monuments etc. As a tourist destination, Bishnupur was recommended as the World heritage site in the early 2000. Its handicrafts, the famous ‘Teracota’ artistry, it’s temples and cultural evnts have always been a tourist attraction.
There are more than 24 tourist spot in Bishnupur to visit. But among all those, its’ temples have always been the main reason to visit Bishnupur for most of the tourists. It is also known as the temple town which are mostly made of laterite stones and brown bricks with beautiful artistry of ‘pora mathi’ or ‘Terakota’, as popularly known. These stones are also known as ‘Makra stones’ in local language. Most of those temples were built by Malla kings of Mallabhum dynasty in 17th century. As they were followers of ‘Baisnab’ ideologies, most of the temples are mainly dedicated to ‘Madanmohan’ or ‘Lord Krishna’ . Each one of them are archaeological marvels and represents the long forgotten Bengali culture & heritage very well.
How to get to Bishnupur?
Bishnupur is well connected through airways, roadways and of course railways. The closest airport to it is Netaji Subhas Chandra Airport, which is at a distance of 121 km. Regular trains from Howrah to Bishnupur is available. Panagarh is the closest bus stand to Bishnupur and is at a distance of 46 km.
You can nearly most of the tourist spots of Bishnupur in a single day, if you prefer single day tours. We recommend You to first reach satragachi station by 7:30 am in the moring, if you are coming by train . Then you can take the Aranyak or Rupasi Bangla express. It usually leaves the Satragachi station by 8 am. Then it will take nearly 3 & half hour to reach Bishnupur station.
Then what? What kind of transportation is available in Bishnupur?
`Don’t worry! We have got you covered! GuideRatna, the only tourist guide, guided tour & online ride hailing service provider at your service. Just download the app, sign up for our service with your email and boom….You are ready to use our service.
Choose from the selection of services we provide. You can book a ToTo or Auto directly from our app.
Our ‘Guided package tour’ is the most popular, which includes a Toto for transportation & a professional tourist guide to tell you the story of Bishnupur.
ClICK HERE to download the app!
Do I really need a tourist guide to visit Bishnupur?
Well, you don’t have to but just visiting a tourist spot without understanding the reason or knowing It’s story is like eating curry without adding salt :)
Don’t just visit a place just for the sake of it, the real beauty could be found when you place your ear on it and tries to listen to the story it wants to tell you. Just like any other place, Bishnupur also has a beautiful story to tell you.
If you want, you can easily listen to it. The only thing you need is an open heart and GuideRatna :)
Here are some of the tourist spots you should definitely visit:
Rashmanch: You should definitely visit this place first as you can buy tickets for all the temples you will be visiting throughout the day. It usually cost Rs 25/head. Rashmanch is definitely the most visited place of Bishnupur. Mallaraj Bishanbit established this temple in 1600 AD. It’s architecture is unique in it’s own ways. The top of it pyramid shaped, while the middle part is Bengali ‘Atchala’ style & the khilans of the lower part were made in the Islamic architectural style.
Shamroy Mandir: This temple has five churas which is mostly made of bricks. It is very enriched with the ‘Teracota’ artistry. You can easily notice all those beautiful figures of Hindu idols, made with ‘pora mathi’ (burnt soil).
Gumghar: It was made by Malla king Birsingha. As per many historian, it was used to be the orison of Malla Dynasty. Contrary to the popular belief, some also said that it used to be the water tank as some old pipes made of burnt soil were found near it.
Jorbangla Temple: It is one of the iconic temples of Bishnupur. It is located near Lalbandh area. There are two big & one small temple standing together.
Radha Shyam Temple: 5. Radha Shyam Mandir: This is a ‘Makra stone’ made temple. It’s upper part is shaped like a gambuj. You can see a brick made building near the entrance which is known as ‘Nahabatkhana’, surrounded by a beautiful manicured garden. There is also a ‘Natmanch’ at the southern part of it.
Radhalaljir Mandir: This huge temple is in the middle of a big opne field. It is completely surroumded by a wall of bricks. A park is being made in front of if to attract tourists.
Dalmadal Canon: This famous vintage canon is now kept at Kaman Dala. This canon has a long history to tell. It is the canon which was used by Raja Gopal Singha Dev to chase away the ‘Bargies’(Marathi cavalry).
Chinnomasta Temple: It’s a brick built south-facing temple. The idol is made of a single white marble. It is one stage of goddess Durga dasha Bidya.
There are many more places to visit in Bishnupur. And we are available in Bishnupur to make your trip an experience for life.
When you are in Bishnupur don’t forget to do shopping! You ca buy gorgeous & world famous ‘Baluchuri’ sarees at the most affordable price. And also don’t forget to bring back anykind of teracota art as a memory.
Bishnupur is more than just town of temples, it is where you get to see the ruins of the Bengali Rajgharanas which makes you think how gorgeous this place used to be in those time. How it used be the center of Bengal, from where Malla kings used to protect Benagal from Maratha bargis. Most of those fun poems that our mothers used to say in our childhood, their origin can be traced back to this place—
“Khoka ghumolo, para jurolo,
Borgi elo deshe,
Bulbulite dhan kheyeche,
Khajna debo kise?”
See you at Bishnupur :)