Kolkata, India
by Anurada Goyal
While planning for a small vacation around Kolkata, I saw some pictures of the Terracotta temples of Bishnupur and that instant I knew I have to go there. The bright red temples were so inviting that I dropped my plans to visit Shanti Niketan and instead headed for this temple town. Bishnupur is a quaint town about 160 kilometres north west of Kolkata. Though it is primarily known for the terracotta temples but when I traveled through the lanes of the town, I discovered the wealth of art and culture hidden in its folds. On top of it, it was heart warming to see the love and care with which the monuments and art forms have been preserved here, which is not commonly seen in India.
This region was ruled by the Malla dynasty from 8th CE to 19th CE, more than 1000 years and 55 generations. Now there are not many dynasties that have ruled for that long. The origin of the dynasty though lies outside Bengal, in distant Rajasthan from where the first king landed here and sowed the seeds for this dynasty. The dynasty was Shaivaite i.e the worshippers of Shiva, one of the Gods in famous Indian Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh aka Shiva. During the early 17th century, kingdom was under king Bir Hambir. He converted to Vaishanava sect and became a devotee of Vishnu. Ram and Krishna are two popular incarnations of Vishnu. He started building temples for his new faith. Most of the temples are dedicated to Krishna and his beloved Radha. Temples are names after various names of these deities. The terracotta was chosen as the base material for the temple, as there is no native stone in this region, so they had to depend on the clay that is amply available. Unfortunately the life of Terracotta is 300-400 years and you can see the corrosion that has already started happening in the temple tiles.
The artisans baked stories in clay tiles, picking up scenes from Puranas, Ramayana and Mahabharata. The daily lives of the people, during the time of construction of these temples have also been given equal importance. If you study the tiles closely you would be able to see how people dressed, what they ate and what recreational activities they engaged in. Artisans also represented the plants, animals – both real and imaginary in their terracotta art. Most temples have very ornate exteriors but fairly simple interiors. Some temples have only the front face adorned with ornamental tiles while some have all four sides. The scenes that are depicted on the temple walls inspire artisans of other crafts like silk weavers who pick up scenes from the walls and weave then into Silk Saris.
Rasamancha is a unique structure in Bishnupur, again built by Bir Hambir in 1600 CE. It is a pyramid like structure on a huge square platform. The circumambulate corridors have huge arches with lotus motifs, that create a labyrinth like way to the central point, where probably a deity was worshipped. It is a place that was used for a local festival called Rasa festival. During this festival all the images from temples of neighboring villages were brought here and displayed in these galleries for the public. The festival still continues to be celebrated here but probably in a more contemporary way. It is said that it is one of its kind structure in the world and no parallel or a similar structure has been found anywhere.
Today, you can take home terracotta from Bishnupur in various forms. You can see the Bankura horse with its typical long pointed ears in Terracotta in all sizes in the lanes of Bishnupur. You can also purchase jewellery made from terracotta along with various Indian deities that remain the most popular muse for any artist in the country.
Besides temples, the artisans of this town excel in hand woven Baluchari Saris. They weave the stories in silk just like the way centuries ago they were cast in terracotta. The Saris are woven either with a Silk thread or Gold thread. The former are more popular and are known as Baluchari and the later ones are more expensive and are called Swarnacharis. The weaves on the borders depict the scenes from the epics and tell a story.
Artisans of Bishnupur and around excel in the metal craft. They make various items of decorative as well as everyday use in brass. The art form resembles the tribal art from other tribal regions of India. The artists still make the metal ware with the lost wax method, which is the oldest known way of making metal ware. Look for conch shell bangles that are hand carved in tiny shops on both sides of narrow lanes along with the carved conch shells that look beautiful. You can also shop for the Ganjifa cards that are the origin of modern day playing cards and are now hand made by only one family here, the Fauzdar family. If you get a chance, indulge yourself in the classical music that belongs to the gharana or tradition of this town.
The town is punctuated with various big and small ponds. There are lotuses in various colors blooming in most of them, making it a wonderful experience to walk around the town. If you can talk to a local, they will tell you the stories associated with these ponds and the kings. You can enjoy eating typical Bengali food and street food like Jhalmuri and Puchkas.
There are not many towns in this world that are so rich culturally. So visit when you can.
Private Day Day Trip to Bishnupur from Kolkata
If You Go:
To Reach:
Fly to Kolkata, and from here you can either hire a taxi or take a train to Bishnupur to cover the last mile of 160 kms or so. Buses also ply between Kolkata and Bishnupur.
A good place stay is the Bishnupur Tourist Lodge. For more information visit the West Bengal Tourism website.
About the author:
Anuradha does Innovation consulting for living and travel writing for passion. She has been blogging about her travels on the road and through the books on her blog for more than 6 years now. She has lived in various parts of India and overseas and at the moment calls Gurgaon her home. You can read more of her writing at anuradhagoyal.blogspot.com
All photos are by Anurada Goyal.
The palace gates opened into extensive grounds with the remains of a once beautiful fountain straight ahead. Beyond this was ‘Ramalinga Vilasam’, the grand abode of the Sethupathy Kings who ruled almost one fifth of Tamil Nadu, South India from 1601 to 1948 AD. A temple built by the Kings of this empire in honor of their family deities can be seen on the southern side and still functions as a place of worship. Ascending several stone steps, I entered the royal dwelling. A small section on the right has been converted into a ticket counter and paying a small fee, I commenced a tour of this fort.
The biggest merit not just to the Durbar Hall but the entire palace is the murals that span across every inch of the walls and ceiling. These indelible prints have braved the ravages of time and stand a colorful reminder of the life of the Sethupathy Kings. They narrate stories of love and war, courage and devotion. The walls of the Durbar Hall portray the King’s war triumphs among others. Several relics from the past are on display in this Hall. Pieces of armory like swords, spears, daggers, rifles and knives which have rusted in time and deprived of use have been showcased as a reminder of the Kings’ valor and bravery.
The Durbar Hall also houses antiques that bring to light the strange customs and practices that were in vogue during the reign of the Sethupathy Kings. I was fascinated by a gigantic stone ball that weighed a ton and a massive mud pot. The purpose of the stone ball was to test the strength of a prospective groom in days gone by. Only those young men who could fling the mammoth ball over their shoulders qualified for wedlock. An impossible feat for grooms of today! The mud pot or ‘Mugavai Thali’ on the other hand is a reminder of the gruesome ancient practice of burying the aged alive when care became impossible. I shuddered looking at the harmless mud pot which was actually a coffin from the past!
The Sethupathy Kings are renowned for their religious fervor and this can easily be seen from the mural depictions and the prominence to deities just beyond the Durbar Hall. The walls of the sanctum here mostly talk about Hindu scriptures and the King’s zeal in adhering to them. Though serene in its settings, this hall holds a secret that can easily escape the naked eye. Hidden behind the deities is a secret escape route that was elaborately constructed to lead into seven South Indian temples. Though the tunnel tingled a sense of adventure and evoked my curiosity to look in, this was impossible as much of the passage had caved in.
The auto rickshaws will drop you near the helipad from where you can see the clear blue sea. The south cliff is towards the left where you have a couple of resorts. However all action happens on the north cliff which is towards the right of helipad. I would recommend that any tourist who visits here should head for the north cliff rather than the south cliff in order to be in the middle of the action.
Do not expect the markets to shut down with the sunset as the night life is simply amazing and it goes on till midnight (Bengaluru needs to learn a thing or two from Varkala). All the shops remain open and the restaurants display their fresh catch for the day to lure the tourists in the evenings.
Rarely do you find a cliff next to a beach, but, Varkala is where you can say, YES…its right here. From the top of the cliff steps take you down to the clear blue waters. Must appreciate the authorities for the way they have maintained the beach. It is the most well kept beach that I have ever been to. The waters are not very deep for about 100 meters. However the tides are quite strong. The tourists frolic the beach from the morning. I found people doing yoga, practicing karate, taking a sun bath, jogging etc. I actually found many just playing with the tides the whole day. With safe guards always roaming around tourists found it all the more safe.
As my husband Rick and I plod through the soft sand, Coney Island comes to mind. Smiling tots bob up and down on carousels and youths shriek from wildly-whirling contraptions, horses gallop by with riders, and kites fill the sky. Most amazing are the girls aged between six and ten performing daring feats on tightropes affixed to crossed bamboo poles lodged in the sand. Snack food is sold out of tents and stalls, some with gaudy plastic stools out front for customers. We agree this is our most exhilarating beach walk to date.
St. Thomas (San Thome) Basilica (built in 1504, and rebuilt in 1893) is renowned for its neogothic elegance, and for an underground chapel where I stand riveted at the thought of “doubting Thomas”, one of the twelve Apostles of Christ being buried here. This is one of three churches in the world proclaimed to be built over the tomb of an Apostle (the others being St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, and Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela built over the tomb of St. James in Spain).
Dharma leads us to the 12m high and 30m wide exquisite bas relief known as Arjuna’s Penance. Dharma points out the key figure saying, “Arjuna is balanced on one leg with arms upraised in ‘penance’, which in the Hindu religion does not mean repentance, but rather a gaining of power over the gods.” Arjuna’s motive was to garner the sword from the towering figure of Shiva beside him, with which to kill his enemies. Our imaginations soar as our eyes scan the 100 sculptured forms surrounding the central figures, depicting lesser gods, humans, flying creatures, and animals, including two life-sized elephants.
Over a thousand years later, the tapping of hammer and chisel continues along the dusty streets of this village renowned for its stone carving. We become absorbed watching artisans chip granite blocks into animal forms and gods destined for temples around the world.
Another Kanchipuram stop was to a family silk weaving factory where some of the most astoundingly beautiful wedding saris are made with vividly coloured silk threads, the borders spun with gold and silver strands, and costing up to 50,000 Rupees ($1,190) – expensive for the country’s economy. Eighty percent of the city’s population is involved in the silk industry.
Just over the border from Puducherry is Auroville, the brainchild of “the Mother”, whose work has been carried on by her followers. Although there is minimal tourist access of the facility, a visitor centre provides information on the workings of this international community that is spread over 20 sq km, with about 2,000 residents from around 38 nations. It is a place to live in peace and unity – above all creeds, politics, and nationalities. The focal point of Auroville is a gigantic gold-plated globe called the Matrimandir, which contains a crystal that diffuses sunlight into 26 meditation chambers for use by its members.
I booked myself onto an overnight bus, barely sleeping through a cold night on winding roads, waiting for the dawn to break. When it did, I watched us pass through villages and market towns, women hurrying through the morning wrapped in thick shawls, men drinking steaming tea at roadside shops, children bright-faced with cold and smiling, all backed by green slopes and snowy peaks. This India looked very different to the hot plains I knew.
“Is there snow in Solang?” I asked.
The summer capital of the British Raj, Shimla is strung out along a high, green ridge, overlooking deep valleys covered in trees. Its streets are stepped like rice terraces, connected by steep staircases. The buildings are all oddly familiar in Shimla – bay-windowed houses with chimneys and pointed roofs, the Raj’s version of home, tumbling down the mountainside. There are two Shimlas – the Indian town, a steep warren of shops and stalls, and the European town, with broad buildings spread out around a wide boulevard, and into the trees on the edge of town.
Having had my fill of Shimla’s ghostliness, I got another bus to Dharamsala, home of the Dalai Lama. Dharamsala itself is a bustling but unremarkable mountain town, but above it is McLeod Ganj, seat of the Tibetan government, and with a population of mostly Tibetan refugees and western tourists. Many of them come to take Buddhist meditation classes, or to hear one of the Dalai Lama’s teachings. I came to eat Tibetan food, try out the hospitality in Tibetan bars, and gaze at the views over the valley, of rocky villages and strings of colourful Buddhist prayer flags.
