Ancient Terra Cotta Temples of Bengal : A photostory.

India is indeed a rich land of history and heritage. Hidden in every state and region are finest example of this. In the eastern state of West Bengal, in the town of Bishnupur , one can find , one of such examples. The Terracotta temples! In my last tour , guiding an amazing art scholar from Milan Museum , Italy, I came across the best and most beautiful of this temples.

Dating back to 16th century , this town holds a temple complex, rich with architecture and history. All the temples are made from the fine art of Terra Cotta. Protected monuments by archeological survery India today , shines with grandeur.

Terra Cotta means baked earth. The temples are made out of tiles of baked soils. The carvings are intricate and each tile holds a story from the ancient myths and epics of India. It took a fine Craftsmenship to create such wonders indeed.

Scenes from war and hunting are found other than scenes from great epics of Mahabharata and Ramayana. 
From the doors to windows to every nook and corner, terra cotta is vividly used everywhere to decorate this temples. Mostly devoted to Lord Krishna, this temple came into construction by Mallya dynasty rulers, who rules this land 400-600 years back. The Mallya kings were truly interested in the development of arts and crafts, which hit zenith , while in the creation of such Terra Cotta temples.

The town of Bishnupur and its famous temples lies 220 kms from Kolkata, nearest airport and big city. Transportation in abundance is available. A great gateway for history and architecture buffs, this temple town of Bishnupur is sure to be a great gateway and weekend destination. To know about this town or an in-depth tour here, consult me surely.