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It is difficult to believe that with the help of terracotta an entire city can be built. Nevertheless, a city named Bishnupur, an entire city, is built with the help of brick and clay. 139 kilometres away from Kolkata, Bishnupur was first established by the Malla dynasty which ruled a portion within Purulia and Burdwan. The city is popularly known for its temples, made of moulded and engraved decorations of terracotta that are available locally. These terracotta temples are linked with the belief of Gaudiya Vaishnava.
Terracotta temples of Bengal
Bishnupur, a city in the eastern region of India is one of the most popular and significant places of West Bengal that is commonly called the Temple Town. Bishnupur is rich in ancient history and culture. There are a total of four significant terracotta temples located. All these terracotta temples are architecturally important and dignified. These terracotta temples were constructed by the Kings of the Malla dynasty. The rulers of the Malla dynasty were the devotees of Lord Vishnu. Malla dynasty rulers built numerous prodigious terracotta temples in West Bengal. These terracotta temples are popular all over India as well as the world. A huge number of tourists from various countries have been fabulous with the elegance of these temples.
Themes of terracotta temples
Plaques of terracotta that are fixed on temples consist of expensive elements about the historical, mythological, and socio-cultural heritage. The themes for the terracotta temples were primarily based on the mythological stories of Mahabharata and Ramayana.
The architecture of the Terracotta temples of Bishnupur
Bishnupur is a part of West Bengal that involves the districts of Bankura, Burdwan, Birbhum, Purulia, and some portions of Murshidabad. This part is popularly denoted for its laterite soil. The architecture of these terracotta temples is composed of laterite soil that is also known as red soil. The Architecture of these terracotta temples can be divided into four different kinds: Chala, Dalan, and Ratna. The Chala temples are characterised by a variety of roof structures. The Chala temples’ roofs are flat in comparison to the rest of the temples. On the other hand, the Ratna temple’s roof is curved in shape and it is surmounted by pinnacles or towers that are called Ratna. The simple form contains one tower placed centrally. These Ratna-style terracotta temples were built in the 15-16th century. In Rarh Bengal, a maximum number of temples had been built. The District of Bankura contains most of these types of terracotta deul temples. In Bishnupur, both Rekha and Nagar-style terracotta temples are present these days. During the Malla dynasty, most of the terracotta temples had started to develop which led to the present scenario of temples of Bishnupur. Though some temples can be found made up of stones and bricks, still the city of Bishnupur is widely popular for its terracotta temples. Among all these terracotta temples, Ras-Mancha is most popular because it is an ancient segment of Ratna architecture. The temple of Madana-Mohana is popular because of its Enkratno architecture. The maximum number of terracotta temples of Bishnupur city is of Ekratno type.
Bishnupur Terracotta temples structure
Though the researchers and archeologists affirmed Bishnupur as the temple town, the maximum numbers of temples have been destroyed by the progression of time because of the lack of conservation. These days, Bishnupur only has four terracotta temples. These four temples are a combination of Orissa’s Rekha style and North India’s Nagor style. A short description of the structure of terracotta temples is discussed below.
Ras-Mancha
This type of temple is the most generous of all the temples. This type of temple looks similar to a Mancha or stage. The top of this temple is constructed according to the structure of a Pyramid. The rest of this temple is constructed according to the structure of Chala. The entrance looks similar to Islam architecture. The structure of Ras-Mancha is indeed unmatched in the field of architecture of the terracotta temple of Bengal.
Pancharatna
In 1643, Raghunath Singha, King of the Malla dynasty, built this type of amazing temple structure. This temple was dedicated to Shyama-Raya. Due to this reason, this is also known as the temple of Shyama-Raya. The most prominent feature of this type of temple is that they consist of five Shikharas. All of them are different in shape. The middle Shikharas looks similar to the structure of the octagonal shape of Islam.
Jorbangla
In the year of 1655, the son of Bir Humbir, Raghunath Singha built this amazing masterpiece. This type of terracotta temple is composed of burnt soil. This is also called the temple of Keshta-Raya. The interior, as well as the exterior of this kind of temple, delimitate detail and elaborate ornamentation of terracotta. The amazing attribution of the art of this kind of temple endows it as the most excellent temple of terracotta.
Enkratno
The king of the Malla dynasty, Durjan Singha had built this masterpiece in 1694. Madana-Mohana is worshipped in this temple. Due to this, it is also known as the temple of madana-Mohana. The height of this Enkratno temple is 35 feet. The structure of the temple is positioned on a huge plinth that is composed of laterite soil.
Conclusion
The Terracotta temple is a noteworthy topic of History. In this overview, the terracotta temples of Bengal are discussed with the help of their structure, architecture, ornamentation, and their types. Along with all the above points, the theme (Ramayana and Mahabharata) of the terracotta temples is also discussed. For a proper understanding of this topic, a detailed study of the terracotta temples of Bengal is needed.
