Madan Mohan Temple, Bishnupur,
West Bengal
Madan
Mohan Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu located in
Bishnupur Town in Bankura District of West Bengal State, India. Madan Mohan
Temple was built by the Malla King Durjan Singh in 1694 CE. In 1820, the
original temple was destructed due to a massive earthquake. After that the
present temple was built. The Temple is located at about 2.5 Kms from Bishnupur
Bus Stand, 4.5 Kms from Bishnupur Junction Railway Station and 3.5 Kms from Bishnupur
New Bus Stand.
Legends
Madan Mohan Temple is probably
the most famous because of the interesting story involving its deity. The
original deity was installed in a village in Bengal. The fame of the deity
spread far and wide after the personal visit by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the
famous Vaishnava saint. So, the Malla king carried the idol to his capital at
Vana-Vishnupur and installed him in a terracotta temple built for that purpose.
Legend says that the deity Madan Mohan himself defended the Malla king in the
battle with the 'Bargi' or Maratha invaders who attacked Bengal.
For brief details, please
refer below link;
The Temple
There
are seven Eka Ratna (meaning single pinnacled) temples located in
Bishnupur. Madan Mohan Temple is one among them. In earlier days, all
these laterite temples were all covered with stucco images. However, with
passing of time, most of the stucco works are lost. The Temple follows the Eka Ratna
style, a square flat-roofed building with carved cornices, surmounted by a
pinnacle. It is relatively a bigger Eka-Ratna temple compared to other similar
temples in Bishnupur and is important too.
Madan Mohan Temple is one of the
most beautiful temples of Bishnupur. The terracotta panels that are found in
this temple can be considered as the most beautiful among all temples in Bishnupur.
The temple is dedicated to Lord Krishna, who is called as Madan Mohan in this
temple. It is a living temple enshrining the metal idols of Krishna and
Radha. The temple is square on plan and stands on a high plinth made of
laterite blocks.
The temple has a square base of
12.2m X 12.2m and a height of 10.7m above a moderate platform. It has three
arched entrances on three directions (east, west and south). The roof is
sloping on four sides with a single sikhara (tower) in the centre, thus making
this temple as Eka Ratna temple. The ceilings are carved with different
designs. The outer walls and the pillars are all full of extremely beautiful
intricately carved terracotta sculptures, depicting various scenes from the
epics and Puranas. Most of them are related to Krishna and Krishna Lila.
The most notable sculpture is
Nabanarikunja, where nine females form an elephant. The mandap called as Chandi
Mandap, which is situated opposite to the temple also looks very attractive
with a sloped chala type roof. The entrance of the complex also has the
beautiful chala type sloping roof and has three arched entrances.
Connectivity
For brief details, please refer below link;
Location
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