Bishnupur, Bankura


Bishnupur is a city and a municipality of Bankura district in the state of West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of the Bishnupur subdivision. It is famous for its terracotta temples Malla Shree Krishna Raslilla and the Baluchari sarees.

History

Bishnupur was ruled under the Gupta period by local Hindu kings who paid tribute to Samudra Gupta. Following a long period of obscurity, where the land oscillated between being a minor independent principality and a vassal state. The land is also called Mallabhum after the Malla rulers of this place. The Malla rulers were Vaishnavites and built the famous terracotta temples during the 17th and 18th century at this place. The legends of Bipodtarini Devi are associated with Malla Kings of Bishnupur.
Bishnupur, now the headquarters of the subdivision of the same name in Bankura district, is a seat of crafts and culture.
For almost a thousand years it was the capital of the Malla kings of Mallabhum, of which Bankura was a part, till their power waned during the times when Mughal Empire weakened under the last monarchs of the dynasty.
The patronage of Malla king Veer Hambir and his successors Raja Raghunath Singha Dev and Bir Singha Dev made Bishnupur one of the principal centres of culture in Bengal. Most of the exquisite terracotta temples for which town is justly famous were built during this period.
Mrinmoyee temple of kings is treated as a valuable historic place.
Apart from the unique architecture of the period, Bishnupur is also famous for its terracotta craft and its own Baluchari sarees made of tussar silk.
Royal patronage also gave rise to Bishnupur Gharana of Hindustani classical music in late 18th-century and the Bishnupur school of painting.

Since 1997, the temples of Bishnupur is on UNESCO World Heritage Site's Tentative list.

Geography

Location

Bishnupur is located at. It has an average elevation of 59 metres.

Area overview

The map alongside shows the Bishnupur subdivision of Bankura district. Physiographically, this area has fertile low lying alluvial plains. It is a predominantly rural area with 90.06% of the population living in rural areas and only 8.94% living in the urban areas. It was a part of the core area of Mallabhum.
Note: The map alongside presents some of the notable locations in the subdivision. All places marked in the map are linked in the larger full screen map.

Demographics

India census, Bishnupur had a population of 61,943. Males constitute 50% of the population and females 50%. Bishnupur has an average literacy rate of 69%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with male literacy of 77% and female literacy of 61%. 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Civic administration

CD block HQ

The headquarters of Bishnupur CD block are located at Bishnupur.

Police station

Bishnupur police station has jurisdiction over Bishnupur municipality and Bishnupur CD Block. The area covered is 365.73 km2 with a population of 138,786.

Language

Bishnupur is a region where Bengali has gained importance. Bengali is the primary dialect and main language of this region. More than 90% of the people of Bishnupur are Bengali.

Education

There are a number of well-known schools and colleges in Bishnupur. For higher education, there is a college named Ramananda College under Bankura University. There is also a music college named Ramsharan College of Music. The names of the schools are:
  1. Bishnupur High School
  2. Bishnupur Mahakuma Madhyamik Vidyalaya
  3. Bishnupur Krittibas Mukherjee High School.
  4. Sibdas Central Girls' High School.
  5. Bishnupur Parimal Debi Girls' High School.
  6. Kusumbani Jamundas Khemka High School.
  7. Bishnupur Mission High School.
  8. Bishnupur Public School-High, a co-educational, English-medium
  9. Bishnupur Public Primary Teachers' Training Institute, A D.El.Ed. College
  10. Bishnupur Public Institute of Education, A D.El.Ed. College
  11. Bishnupur Public Private I.T.I., An Industrial Training Institute
  12. Bishnupur Public Institute of Engineering, A Polytechnic College
There is also an engineering college, Mallabhum Institute of Technology; a government poly-technique college named K.G. Engineering Institute; and two private polytechnic college named "Mallabhum Institute of Polytechnic "

Healthcare

Bishnupur has a 250-bedded District hospital and One Super-speciality Hospita with ICU Dep at Bishnupur Rasikganja.

Transport

Bishnupur is reasonably well connected via roads. Due to its importance as a tourism destination, it is connected to almost all major places of Bengal. Long distance buses connect Bishnupur to places like Arambag, Durgapur, Asansol, Kolkata etc. There are regular and frequent bus services available between Kolkata and Bishnupur. The buses usually leave Kolkata from the Esplanade bus stand. The journey takes about 4 hours and 45 minutes.
Bishnupur is well-connected by rail to the rest of the country via Kharagpur and Adra. Express and mail trains ply between Kolkata and Bishnupur on a regular basis. The Rupashi Bangla Express, Aranyak Express and the Purulia Express are the most convenient trains to reach Bishnupur from Kolkata; these trains come via Kharagpur and take approx 3:30 to 4:15 hours to reach Bishnupur from Kolkata.
Within the city of Bishnupur, private auto-rickshaws and cycle-rickshaws are the most convenient mode of communication. Recently CNG autos have been introduced plying through various parts of the town. These vehicles are environment-friendly, non-polluting, convenient, less time consuming and cheap mode of travel.
Nearest International Airport is at Dumdum, Kolkata which is 140 km away; a smaller private airstrip at Panagarh belonging to the Indian Air Force is rarely used. A new airport in Andal has come up.
Bishnupur is now a junction, it connects Tarakeswar via Arambag.

Culture

The Bishnupur Mela is held every year around the last week of December, in Raj Darbar. Later on Highschool Ground and from Now it is held at Nandalal Temple Premises.
In 2018, the test of the Bishnupur Mela is totally changed. A big thanks to the administration for such an innovative idea to keep Bishnupur Terracotta Temples at the backdrop of the main stage. The Bishnupur Mela was inaugurated with the Gharana Music sung by some renowned persons from Bishnupur Gharana. In this year 2018, a fashion show with Baluchari Saree is introduced to promote Baluchari Saree at an international platform. Besides artisans got a huge income by selling crafts from the stalls of Mela. A recent addition is Bishnupur Utsab, held after the Mela. It is a classical music and dance festival in recognition of the 'Bishnupur Gharana' in music. It was stopped after 2012 but It started again on and from 2/2/2018 at Rashmancha.

Temples and other places

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. The temples are located in Bishnupur and across many other small villages in the Bankura district.
A school of music, called the Bishnupur Gharana, was established here in 1370 A.D and flourished under the patronage of the Malla kings. The school hit its peak in the 16th and 17th centuries. This style of music is rooted in the Dhrupad style and is still being kept alive in local academies of music. Pakhwaj, Sitar, Esraj comprise the main instruments. Bengali Ragpradhan is one of the Classical items of this gharana.

Products

Terracotta is characteristic of Bishnupur. Apart from the temples, terracotta pottery, artifacts and even jewelry made in this very traditional material are famous. The most famous of the terracotta products are the hand made beautiful jars, disks and the more famous of them are the terracotta horses, elephants, Ganesha, and Nataraj. But nowadays the skilled artists and potters are not present and also they make different products like faces, men, wall hangings and also the mini sized Dal Madal Kaman. The potters here derive their inspiration from the glorious history of kings, soldiers, and wars.'Dokra', one kind of metalcraft is also famous.
Bishnupur is also famous for Baluchari Sari and Mallabhum Sari made of Tassar silk and was for almost a thousand years the capital of the Malla kings of Mallabhum. Woven on Jacquard punch-card looms, these sarees have episodes from the Mahabharata woven into the border and pallu.
Bellmetalware, conch-shell and terracotta jewelry is also available here.
The "Dashavatar Taas", kind of playing cards depicting ten avatars of Hindu god Vishnu, is drawn by hand. It is a rare art piece not to be found anywhere else in India.

Terracotta horse

Panchmura, 9 May: Popular Bankura horse that evolved as the symbol of West Bengal over a period of time besides gaining a special place in the national crafts museum, is dying a slow death at the very place it derived its name from. Bankura horses are terracotta horses that were once used more often for religious purposes, now they are used as a decorative item here. This art originated in Bankura district of West Bengal. These horses are known for their symmetric shape and rounded curves given to their body. The Bankura or Panchmura horse gained popularity among the art lovers since it acquired a place in the works of renowned painter M. F. Hussein.

Festivals and fairs

There is a snake festival in August, Ultorath and the Bishnupur fair in December. Also durga puja and kali puja or diwali is celebrated with pomp here. The Rajbari Durga Puja was started on 994 AD, which makes it the oldest Durga Puja in the entire Bengal region including today's Bangladesh and Odisha.
and Tripura.

Municipality

During the period 1990–2010, the 175-year-old Bishnupur Municipality was controlled by INC. From 2010 it is controlled by TMC.
Present Municipality chairman is the longest serving chairman of Bishnupur Municipality.
Out of Five factories four has been closed down and the last one is dying everyday under Dwarika Industrial Belt.

Image Gallery