Temples in Bishnupur
Bishnupur has dozens of temples built by the Malla kings, most of them for Krishna, who became the dynasty's chosen deity. A handful are still in worship; most are protected monuments you visit on a single ticket.
Why they look the way they do
The Malla kings were Vaishnavas, and nearly all their temples honour Krishna. Western Bengal had little good building stone, so they built in brick and faced the walls with carved terracotta panels. Many copy the curved thatched roofs of Bengali village huts, called chala, in brick. Others use the ratna form, with one tower (ekaratna) or five (pancharatna) rising from the roof.
Rasmancha
Rasmancha, built by King Bir Hambir in 1600, is the oldest brick temple in the town. It is not a shrine for daily worship: the town's Radha-Krishna images were brought here each year for the Ras festival, a custom that continued until 1932. The ASI ticket counter is here.
Jor Bangla and Shyam Rai
Jor Bangla, also called the Keshta Rai temple, was built in 1655 as two chala huts joined together under one tower. Shyam Rai, from 1643, is the town's great pancharatna temple, its walls dense with Krishna Lila and Ramayana scenes.
Madan Mohan
Madan Mohan was built by King Durjan Singha Dev in 1694 for Madan Mohan, the family deity of the Malla kings. It is a working temple with daily worship, so dress and behave as you would at any active shrine.
The smaller temples
Lalji (1658), Madan Gopal (1665), Radha Shyam (1758) and the three-temple Jor Mandir group (1726) are all on the circuit. Kalachand and Radha Gobinda are built of laterite rather than brick. The Malleswar temple is a laterite Shiva shrine of 1622.
Mrinmoyee and Chhinnamasta
The Mrinmoyee temple holds the Malla family's goddess, and local tradition says its Durga Puja began in 997, which would make it among the oldest in Bengal. The small Chhinnamasta temple stands beside the Dalmadal cannon.
Visiting respectfully
Remove your shoes where you see others doing so, and cover your shoulders and knees at the working temples. Do not climb the plinths or touch the terracotta. Ask before photographing worship, priests or the deity. The monuments generally open from sunrise to sunset; worship timings at the active temples vary, so check locally.
Questions
Bishnupur — FAQ
Which Bishnupur temples are still used for worship?
Madan Mohan and Mrinmoyee are active temples with regular worship, and the small Chhinnamasta temple is too. Most of the terracotta temples, such as Jor Bangla and Shyam Rai, are protected monuments without daily worship.
Is Rasmancha a temple?
Not in the everyday sense. It was built as a pavilion where the town's Krishna images were gathered for the yearly Ras festival, and it has no resident deity for daily worship today.
Do I need to remove my shoes at the monuments?
Not usually on the lawns and paths around the protected monuments. Take them off where there is worship, such as at Madan Mohan and Mrinmoyee, and wherever a sign or caretaker asks you to.
Which Bishnupur temple is dedicated to Shiva?
The Malleswar temple, a laterite shrine built in 1622, is dedicated to Shiva. Almost all the other Malla temples are for Krishna or Radha-Krishna.