Madan Mohan Temple Bishnupur
Madan Mohan Temple-Bishnupur
Madan Mohan Temple dedicated to Lord Krishna is an architectural marvel in the Bishnupur town in West Bengal.Built in the year 1695 by King Durjan Singha of Malla dynasty, it’s known for its immaculately maintained Chariot-style architecture intertwined with stories from Hindu religious books and wall inscriptions engraved from the stories of Ramayana and the Mahabharata.
It is at this place the deity Madan Mohan himself defended the Malla king in the battle with the ‘Bargi’ or Maratha invaders who attacked Bengal.
Architecture
The Madan Mohan Temple is built in the eka-ratna type of Ratna style, one of the styles of temple architecture in Bengal. The structure of the temple consists of garbhagriha with curved roofs and a ratna. The temple incorporates primary elements of the Chala style with its curved cornice, which was common in Hindu temples in Bengal built during this period.
The terracotta panels that are found in this temple can be considered as the most beautiful among all temples in Bishnupur. The most notable sculpture is Nabanarikunja, where nine females form an elephant. The mandap called as Chandi Mandap, along with it, there is a big tree just outside the temple whose trunk has a formation and people have put vermilion on it to give it a face of Lord Ganesh.
Legend
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
king found himself in a life threatening position against the Marathas that made lost almost all hopes. After hearing the deafening booms of the artilleries, the god-fearing King Gopal Singha woke up from his prostate state. The booming peals of the cannons made the king in convict that God had himself manifested here to protect his kingdom from the invasions of outside forces.
