Bishnupur, Bankura

My Trip Bishnupur, Bankura, WB.

History[edit]

Bishnupur was ruled under the Gupta period by local Hindu kings who paid tribute to Samudra Gupta. 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 Bengal architecture. The legends of Bipodtarini Devi are associated with Malla Kings of Bishnupur.

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 ofMallabhum, 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 and Veer Singha 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.

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 theRasmancha

Geography

Bishnupur is located at 23°05′N 87°19′E.^[3] It has an average elevation of 59 metres (194 feet).

Demographics

As of 2001 India census,^[4] Bishnupur had a population of 61,943. Males constitute 50% of the population and females 50%. Bishnupur has an average literacy rate of 69%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with male literacy of 77% and female literacy of 61%. 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Language[edit]

Bishnupur is a predominantly Bengali speaking city.

Education

There are number of well known schools and colleges in Bishnupur .For higher education, There is a college namedRamananda College under University of Burdwan. There is also a music college named Ramsharan College of Music. The name of the schools are – 1. Bishnupur Krittibas Mukherjee High School 2. Bishnupur High School [1] 3. Bishnupur Parimal Debi Girls' High School 4. Kusumbani Jamundas Khemka High School 5. Sibdas Central Girls' High School.There is also an engineering college 'Mallabhum Institute of Technology', a govt. poly-technique college named ' K.G.Engineering Institute ' an a private polytechnic college named 'Bishnupur Public Institute of Engineering'.

Transport

The photo shows the Bishnupur railway station.

Bishnupur is reasonably well connected via roads. Due to its importance as a tourism destination, it is basically connected to almost all major places of Bengal. Long distance buses connect Bishnupur to places like Arambag,Durgapur, Asansol, Kolkata etc. There are regular and frequent bus services available between Kolkata and Bishnupur. The buses usually leave Kolkata from the Espalnade bus stand. The journey takes about 4 hours and 45 minutes.

Bishnupur is well-connected by rail to the rest of the country via Kharagpur andAdra. Express and mail trains ply between Kolkata and Bishnupur on a regular basis. The Rupashi Bangla Express, Aranyak Express and the Purulia Express are the most convenient trains to reach Bishnupur from Kolkata; these trains come via Kharagpur(Midnapur) and take approx 3:30 to 4:15 hours to reach Bishnupur from Kolkata.

Within the city of Bishnupur, private auto-rickshaws and cycle-rickshaws are most convenient mode of communication. Recently CNG autos have been introduced plying through various parts of the town. These vehicles are environment-friendly, non-polluting, convenient, less time consuming and cheap mode of travel.

Nearest International Airport is at Dumdum, Kolkata (Netaji Subhash International airport) which is 140 km away; a smaller private air strip at Panagarh belonging to the Indian Air Force is rarely used. A new airport is coming up in Andal (90 km from Bishnupur). It's expected to be completed in the next two years.

Pithora Painting

Gujarat

About  A Pithora is a living testament of an ever changing ethos exemplifying highly enriched Folk Art culture of Gujarat. It incorporates all of natures bounty enmeshed with the encroachments of human civilization encased in a childlike delight of discovery. A Pithora as a mural is considered one of the largest works of its kind in the world today in the annals of cultural anthropology. It brings with it a sense of exuberant energy in color harking back to mankind’s earliest expressions in creativity. A Pithora Mural whether enhancing a storefront, redefining a wall exterior or in the form of a painted wall hanging balancing a living room interior in an urban setting, takes one back to the dawn of human creative expressionism. The vivid usage of color and the abstraction of form makes one yearn for the rolling hills and pristinely mysterious countryside. Today, the ritual Pithora Mural painter is beginning to gain acceptance as an integral urban design element for his sense of artistic style and the depiction of everyday surroundings with an almost childlike visual appeal. The Pithora whether tantalizing a wall as a mural or a painting illuminating an interior, contains elements drawn from oral history, tribal legends and fantasy, stunning silhouettes of galloping horses, birds and animals, hills and topography sharing space with aspects of the netherworld, men and women, all to create a veritable tapestry of magic in color and form. Reds, yellows and blues seem to be at play with secondary layers of colors depicting aspects and attributes of nature but never imitating it. There is an earthy appeal of raw energy and movement which seems to flow outward and beyond the borders of the painting enlivening its surroundings. As a mural in a garden exterior, the Pithora draws you into its world of fantasy and tales sensitizing the spaces around. A painting on a background of white or lusty brown generates a rustic ambience complementing the interior space. Traditional Trivia The Pithora is a folk art form originating from an ancient ritualistic tradition of mural paintings initiated within tribal beliefs and customs in the region of Chhota Udepur in Vadodara district. The Rathwa, Bhil and Nayak adivasi communities revere this art form though it is always members of the Rathwa community who are the traditional painters and storytellers as Pithora Dev is their principal deity presiding over every aspect of their existence. It is commissioned as an appeasement to the central Godhead of the Rathwa, ‘Pithora’ and upon completion the entire painting is termed as a ‘Pithora’. The painting of a mural involves a series of rituals flowing into days and nights of invocations, singing and dancing, renditions of myths, legends and oral traditions and painting with a fervour and intensity invoking the very act of creation. A variety of factors are responsible for nuances in style according to need and interpretation. The Gods are installed on the wall by means of colourful paintings which represent the tribal's entire cosmos and their myth of creation. Through an invocation ceremony, at which offerings of food and liquer distilled from the sacred ‘mahuda’ tree are made, the deities are invited to descend into the painting and dwell therein thus ensuring divine protection. The Pithora Mural still continues to hold a place of pride and high ritual in tribal society today. The younger generations of painters though respecting the traditions of yore are exploring new boundaries through murals and paintings to cater to a wider commercially driven market.