Bishnupur is a town and a municipality in Bishnupur subdivision of Bankura District in the state of West Bengal, India. It is famous for its terracotta temples Bishnupuriya (Malla) Shree Krishna Raslilla and the balucheri sarees. Bishnupur was ruled under the Gupta period by local Hindu kings who paid tribute to Samudra Gupta[citation needed]. 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 terracotta temples here are the best specimen of the classical style of Bishnupuriya architecture. The legends of Bipodtarini Devi are associated with Malla Kings of Bishnupur.[1] Bishnupur (the distance from Kolkata is 132 km), 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 (school) of Hindustani classical music in late 18th-century[2] and the Bishnupur school of painting. Detail of terracotta relief from the Rasmancha Terracotta plate found in Bishnupur, Bankura, West Bengal, India Terracotta temple found in Bishnupur, Bankura, West Bengal, India Since 1997, the temples of Bishnupur is on UNESCO World Heritage Site's Tentative list.
