Bishnupur is not just about terracotta temples
Travelling to Bishnupur is not just walking down annals of history, but revisiting the past. The land of Malla Kings not just opens up hidden gems of architecture, but also dying and lost art forms including the famous textiles of Bengal. The architecture of the famous Terracota Temples are examples of confluence of various architectural splendours of Bengal. They show an influence of both Mughal and Rajasthan’s Rajputana architecture. The temples are mostly 400 years old, but they still retain the original colour and texture of the terracotta tiles and bricks intricately made by artisans of those ages.
The world hardly remembers the stalwarts of Bishnupur Gharana, the only classical gharana of Bengal. Do not miss Ustadpara, where musicians Surendranath Bandopadhyay and Gopeshwar Bandopadhyay lived. Gopeshwar babu’s house is almost in ruins. Beside it lies the Famous Kali temple that once was a part of the household of another musician, Ramprasanna Bandopadhyay. Watch weavers weave Baluchori in their looms, one of the most intricate silk sarees of Bengal. And then there are the hand-crafted Dashavatar Taash as well as exotic dolls. Watch this video to know more!
