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dnomadicarchitect · 7 years ago

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(The article is part of the series – The Scarlet Temples of Bengal)

Despite the fact that the temple town of Bishnupur has a lovely exhibition of different styles of temple architecture of Bengal, a majority of the temples are built in Ek-Ratna style. While the largest of them, the Madan Mohan Temple, is built entirely in Terracotta bricks, rests are made of laterite stone blocks. In the later part of seventeenth-century temples were built with both terracotta bricks and laterite stones however on the other side of the century, use of terracotta bricks as the building material is invisible. The trend, that ended with Radhe Shyam Temple actually started a century ago – Laterite Ek-Ratna Temples.

There are 9 marvellous Ek-Ratna temples built in laterite stone in the city. According to their time of construction they are; Kalachand Temple(1656), Lalji Temple (1658), Nandalal Temple (Not Known), three temples in Jor Mandir Complex (1726), Radha Govinda Temple (1729), Radha Madhab Temple (1737) & Radhe Shyam Temple (1759).

The temples are significant in understanding the development of Bengali Architecture and how, over a span of a century, Bengal developed its own style of Ratna Architecture coming out of the North Indian Influence.

In a way, all the temples are similar because all of them are dedicated to Sri Krishna and Sri Radha. Despite the fact that there is a century between the first and the last of the temples, all were very much similar in style of architecture. The temples are square in plan and have flat curve roofs on top. On sides, three arched gateways are there to enter the main sanctum and on top of the roof, a single spire or Sikhara is placed.

Kalachand Temple

Only the Kalachand Temple, built by King Raghunath Singha in 1656, has a taller Sikhara which also has a beautiful Kalas on top of it – greatly resembling the temples of Odisha. (Raghunath Singha has the credit of supervising two more fascinating temples in the city – the Jor Bangla or the Kesto Rai Temple and the Shyam Rai or the Pancha Ratna Temple) Kalachand Temple has a square base of 11.1 meters and a height of 9.2 meters. The temple is built on a low plinth and the long spire or Sikhara is built in Rekha Style of Architecture.

Source: ASI

While the others were standalone temples built in a scattered way – The Jor Mandir temples were built in a cluster. Often confused with the Jor Bangla Temple, the Jor Mandir temples are a cluster of temples totally different in terms of style and timeline. The Jor Mandir temple complex built by King Krishna Singh in 1726 has three marvellous Ek-Ratna temples with laterite stone walls on which marvellous stucco carvings were present. The temples are oriented from North to South. The one in North has a square base of 11.7 meters and a height of 12.2 meters. While the one in South has same height it’s square base is 11.8 meters wide. The one in the middle is smaller but greater in terms of artwork. The middle temple has a square base of 7 meters and a height of 7.6 meters. This one is the most ornamented temple in entire Bishnupur and has lovely stucco carvings depicting Krishna Leela. The stucco works on this one is more or less well preserved till date.

Radha Madhav Temple & Bhog Mandap

The Radha Madhab Temple built by Churamoni Devi, the daughter-in-law of Malla King Gopal Singh, in the year 1737 in a square in shape and the dimension of each side is 11.1 meters while the height of the temple is 9.2 meters. The walls of the temple have marvellous carvings on laterite stone. In this temple, unlike the Radhe Shyam Temple, the carvings are done on the stone itself and a stucco coating is given over it. The spire, like Kalachand Temple, is built in Rekha Style. Rekha style of domes is another terrific component of Bengali Vernacular Architecture where the dome is constructed with horizontal panels reducing in size. This gives a marvellous look to the dome and the entire building. Another unique feature of the Radha Madhab Temple complex is the existence of a Do-Chala structure beside the temple. It was a Bhog Mandapa where pilgrims were offered food after the puja. The Do-Chala structure is a unique feature of Bengali architecture and is the example of how brick buildings were developed from the traditional mud-huts.

Source: ASI

Built in the year 1729 during the rule of Krishna Singha, The Radha Govinda Temple was completely abandoned and was lying as ruin till recently. However, after a superb conservation work by Archeological Survey of India, the temple has found its lost grandeur. The giant Sikhara on top of the flat- curve roof is surely its most beautiful part. This Sikhara is also built in Rekha style.

Source: ASI

The Nandalal Temple of Bishnupur is another Laterite Ek-Ratna Temple built during the Malla reign, however, there is no historical evidence on the exact time of the erection of the temple or the supervising ruler. It is believed that it was built in the 17th Century and most likely in the later part of it but the exact dates are not known.

Source: ASI

Lalji Temple

The last in the list is Lalji Temple. Built by Malla king Bir Singha in 1658 is one of the earliest laterite temples of Bishnupur. Like Kalachand Temple(1656) this temple also is strongly influenced by North Indian Temple Architecture. The spire or the Sikhara is close to that. It is evident that Bengal was yet to develop its indigenous Sikhara Styles (Ratna Architecture). So far the timeline suggests, only during the last few decades of the seventeenth century Bengal had its own style – the Rekha Style. When Radhe Shyam Temple was built, the story has reached its climax and the city has developed its own style of architecture that has a uniqueness in all of its components.

Source: ASI

Weathering has caused severe damage to the stucco works of the temples and in most cases, the outside stucco is gone. The internal walls are still carrying the legacy and upon entering each of the temples – lovely artwork on stucco can be seen – depicting stories from Mahabharata, Ramayana & Krishna Leela. The nine gorgeous Ek-Ratna Temples built with laterite are so similar yet so different in terms of their time of erection & style of architecture. They all bear the legacy of evolving Architectural Style of Bengal.

Tourist info:

Bishnupur is a well-managed place and all the temples of the area are very well maintained. It can be reached from Kolkata by train – it takes only about three hours. There are good bus connectivity also and if you are in a large group hiring a car can also be a good option.

The entire city of Bishnupur takes about a day and a return train in the evening can be a taken though there are plenty of good places to spend the night which includes the State Government tourist lodge. Inside the city – walking is the best option while paddle rickshaws & three wheeler autos are also available.

The scarlet red buildings of Bengal are extremely Instaworthy. The place has a rich history and architecture – so, for anybody with interest in these – Bishnupur is a must-visit place.

The Nine Gorgeous Ek-Ratnas of Bishnupur (The article is part of the series – The Scarlet Temples of Bengal) Despite the fact that the temple town of Bishnupur has a lovely exhibition of different styles of temple architecture of Bengal, a majority of the temples are built in Ek-Ratna style.

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