History and Antiquities of Bishnupur
A town about 60 miles north-west of Calcutta, in the Bankura district, Bishnupur was the seat of Malla rulers from the 16th to the early 19th century. Since no stone was available in the vivinity, builders utilized bricks made from the local mud in the construction of all important buildings. Examples of this brick work exists in the 17th century temples of the area especially worth seeing in the Keshta Raya, Jor Bangla, Ras Mancha and Madan Mohan shrines.
The do-chala Keshta Raya temple, built in 1643 AD and dedicated to Krishna, seems Islamic in design. This is probably due to the fact that it was constructed at a time when Muslim rules had already had a great effect on the art, architecture, literature and lifestyle of the whole northern part of the Indian sub-continent.
Built on a characteristic platform or plinth, its ornate walls rise up, windowless, to meet two tiled roofs between which is placed a small tower, with a similar covering. The exterior of the shrine is also studded with terra-cotta tiles but these are especially decorated with intricate local motifs, scenes from Hindu mythology and vernacular icons of the gods, to add a touch of lightness to the heavy red structure. The chronology of the Bishnupur dynasty bears the name of 57 kings who have swayed the destinies of the principality for more than ten centuries.
"The ancient Rajas of Bishnupur trace back their history to a time when Hindus were still reigning in Delhi, and the name of Mussalmans was not yet heard of in India. Indeed, they could already count five centuries of rule over the western frontier tracts of Bengal before Bakhityar Khiliji wrested that province from the Hindus. The Mussalman conquest of Bengal, however, made no difference to the Bishnupur princes," (R.C. Dutt) Towards the close of the sixteenth century the suzerainty of the Muhammadan Viceroys of Bengal was for the first time acknowledged by the Bishnupur Raj, and an annual tribute of Rs. 1,07,000 was promised, but the tribute does not appear to have been reqularly paid, the Rajas than as subjects. Muhammadan historians record that when Murshid Kuli Khan introduced a more centralized form of government in 1707-8 AD., the Raja of Bishnupur was exemped from his rigid requlations. The freedom of Bishnupur from Moslem influence may still be traced in the fact that only about 5.6 percent of the people of the district at present follow the religion of the prophet, and Brahmins form a very large percentage of the population, numbering about a lakh, coming, in point of population, next after the aboriginal Bauris and Santhals. Hindu music and Hindu architecture, as well as Hindu religion (of the vaishnavite form), found munificent patrons in the Rajas, and though the architectural glories of Bishnupur only excite the admiration of archaeologists now, the place still retains its supremacy in the vocal art. Jadu Bhatta’s is the most famous name among Bishnupur musicians. Babu Gopeswar Bannerjea, author of several books on music is the best know of the living musicians of Bishnupur. Only once, in the beginning of the eighteenth century, was Hinduism seriously threatened in reign of Raghunath Singh 11 when, infatuated by the wiles of a Muhammadan mistress named Lalji Bai, who was brought in the train of Sobha Singh’s daughter, whom Raghunath Singh married, after defearting Sobha Singh, who was the notorious but brilliant chieftain of Chetua Barda in Midnapur and overran Burdwan and unsuccessfully attacked Bishnupur. Raghunath Singh was about to embrace Islam with his whole Court but the senior queen, with the advice and approval of his ministers, sanctioned the murder of the Raja by his younger brother Gopal Singh, who then ascended the throne and saved the kingdom for the religion of his forefathers.
The Rajas of Bishunpur were at first Saivas, ie., worshippers of god Siva, and this is attested by two temples, one called Shandeswar about five miles away from the civil station, erected by Raja prithwi Malla in 1335 A.D. being the oldest temple extant, in these parts, and the other named Malleswar in the heart of the town erected nearly three centuries later in 1622 AD. In the palmy days of their power and prosperity the Rajas were however followers of the Vaishnav cult, and the city of Bishnupur itself came to be know as "Veiled Brindaban," and names derived from Vaishnav mythology were given to the embanked lakes known as Bandhs in and about the town, and also to several of the surrounding villages Modern research has discovered a larger number of Vaishnav manuscripts in this sub- division than in any similar area in Bengal. From a slip attached to the manuscript of the recently discovered "Srikrishna Kirtab" of the famous poet Chandidas, which has caused such a stir in literary circles, it appears that it was preserved with unusual care in the Library of the Rajas of Bishnupur more than two centuries and a half ago. All the temple, save the two named above, are dedicated to one or otherof the forms of Vishnu, the great Bengali apostle of Vaishnavism, Sri Chaitanya, being among the number.
In the days of its greatest expansion, the kingdom of Bishnupur included almost all the neighbouring districts, and was known by the name of Mallabhum, i.e. the country of the Mallas or wrestlers. Midnapore is said to have been named after Medini Malla, first cousin of Adi Malla, the founder of the Raj; Kharagpur owes its origin to Kharga Malla, who reigned between 841 and 889 AD.; and the name of Bankura has been traced to Banku ray, the youngest son of king Hambir, a contemporary of Akbar. Murari Misra, author of the Sanskrit drama Anargha- Raghava, which is freely quoted from in that standard work on Rhetorie, the Sahitys Darpan, Ramai Pundit, the author of the Sunya Purana which is devoted to the propagation of the worship of Buddha in the guise of Dharma and is one of the earliest specimens of genuine Bengali literature extant, and Subhankara the arith metician, whose system of ready- reckoning is still memorized by Bengali schoolboys, flourished in this kingdom, and later Vaishnav literature makes frequent mention of the only independent Hindu Kingdom in Bengal where Vaishnavism was accepted as the State religion.
The Army was orgainsed on a feudal basis and was maintained by grants of land known collectively as the Sanapatt Mehal. A comprehensive system of military police prevailed, known under the names of Ghatwals, sadiwals, Simandars, &c., who held service- tenures under a quitrent known as Panchak and whose duties included the prevention of robberies, the maintenance of boundaries, and the preservation of peace and order, Justice was administered in the villages by the Patradhar is, i.e., those who were appointed under a patra or royal charter, and also my Mukhyas or headmen, the king in council, assisted by learned Court Pandits, forming the highest court of appeal. The unqualified eulogium bestowed by competent foreign observers on the simple yet efficient system of administration prevailing in Bishnupur proves that the government was suited to the needs of the unsophisticated people among whom the Rajas held sway.
The founder of the dynasty, Gopal, better known as Adi Malla, settled at Laugram, off Police Station Kotalpur. Many curious legends testify to his Kshattriya origin, and although his descendants called themselves Mallas for many centuries, they later on assumed the Kshattriya title of Singh, Mallas are called Vratyas in the Code of Manu, and classed with Dravidians. "The fact that the Rajas of Bishnupur called themselves Malla (an aboriginal title) for many centuries before they assumed the Kshattriya title of Singh, the fact that down to the present day they are known as Bagdi Rajas all over Bengal, as well as numerous local facts and circumstances go to prove that the Rajas of Bishnupur are Kshattriyas, because of their long independence and their past history, but not by descent. The story of descent is legendary, but the Kshattriyas of Bishnupur can show the same letters patent for their Kshattriyahood as the Rajputs of Northern India or the original Kshattriyas of India could show, viz., military profession and the exercise of royal powers for centuries." (R. C. Dutt) Adi Malla was crowned in 695 AD. corresponding to the first year of the Malla Era, which falls short of the current Bengali Era by 101 years. He defeated the chief of Pradyumnapur (off Police Station Jaypur) and following an ancient Hindu custom, celebrated the coronation ceremony by worshipping the flag of Indra, the Jupiter of the Hindu Pantheon a custom which prevails tot his day at Bishnupur, the occasion being marked by large festive gatherings of Santhals, with whose did Adi Malla is said to have vanquished his adversary. He was followed, down to the middle of the sixteenth century, by forty- eight rulers in succession who were engaged in waging constant warfare with the neightbouring chiefs and in extending and consolidation their dominions. The capital is said to have been removed to Bishnupur by Jagat Malla, the nineteenth king of the dynasty, about the middle of the eleventh century.
With Hambir we take leave of the more or less legendary accounts, and enter into what may be termed the historical period, for he was the first king to be mentioned by the Muhammadan historians. He gained the title of " Bir" or Hero by defeating the Pathanas in alliance with the Moguls. A moat outside the outer- most line of fortifications, about a mile from the present civil station, known as the "Ford of Skulls." Preserves the memory of the bloody encounter. When the Mogul Viceroy Man Singh invaded Orissa, his son Jagat Singh was detached to check the Afghan Commander Kullu Khan but was put to flight and rescued by Bir Hambir and brought to Bishnupur. The fort received by Bir Hambir and brought to Bishnupur. The fort received its last embellishent in the reign of this king, and guns were mounted on its walls, and the fine large stone gateway of the citadel was built by him. But and an unexpected incident put a citadel was built by him. But and an unexpected incident put a sudden stop to his military career and turned him into a gentle and devout Vaishnav. The Vaishnav workd relate that the celebrated Srinivas Acharya, on his way from Brindaban to Gour with valuable Manuscripts, was robbed near Bishnupur by Bir Hambir’s men, but he so moved the Raja by his exposition of the Bhagavata Purana that, the latter forthwith became a convert, and even composed two well- known songs which have been preserved in Vaishnavite collections.
His successor Raghunth Singh 1 (1627- 57) first gained the title of Singh. As he was going to the house of his religious preceptor at Jajigram, he was arrested by the Kazi of Burdwan for arrears of revenue and sent to Rajmehal, where the Viceroy, Prince Suja, being pleased with his expuisite horsemanship granted him the title of Singh (Lion), which is the title the dynasty has borne ever since. Raghunath built some of the best- known temples, and by this time bishnupur seems to have risen considerably in importance, being described by local chroniclers as rivaling the city of Indra in beauty and containing theatres, barracks, stables, storehouses, armouries and a treasury. But with the introduction of the arts of peace, the military glory of the principality began to decline.
Bir Singh succeeded his father Raghunath. He was a cruel king, but kept the subordinate chiefs in order, and excavated the lakes or Bandhs, of which the Jamuna Bandh near the Railway Station and the Lal Bandh outside the fort are in the best state of preservation. He further added to the beauty of the town by building temples, which had now become the fashion with every succeeding ruler or his queen. It must be said to their credit that though they lavished all the resources of the State in adorning these places of worship, they took little care to build a suitable palace for themselves, and the contrast cannot fail to strike the most casual visitor to the ruins.
The end of the seventeenth century left the Bishnupur Rajas at the summit of their fortunes. Gopal singh (1730- 45) was a pious prince, and he issued an edict that all his people should count their beads and repeat the name of the god every evening at sunset. This evening prayer, owing to its compulsory character, was not very popular, and is still known by the name of Gopal Singher Begar. In his reign, when Ali Vardi Khan was the Viceroy of Bengal, the Marathas under Bhaskar pundit appeared before the gates of Bishnupur, and encamped in the portion of the town occupied by the sub- divisional offices which still goes by the name of Maratha chhauni. Gopal Singh retreated inside the fort and ordered both citizens and soldiers to offer prayers to the presiding deity Madan Mohan to save the city. The prayer was heard, and the legend relates that the guns were fired without human assistance by the god himself. The Marathas, being unable to pierce the strong fortifications, retired, but mercilessly ravaged the surrounding country, as graphically described in the Riaz us- salatin.
The last of the Rajas of Bishnupur was Chaitanya Singh, who true to his name, was a devout Vaishnav of retiring disposition and therefore unfit to hold the reins of government during the troublous times which followed. In his reign, which commenced in 1752, the Marathas again appeared and made Bishnupur their headquarters during the invasion of Shah Alum whom they assisted. They retired when NawabMir Jaffer, supported by a British force under Major Calliaud, advanced to meet them, but left a small force at Bishnupur which was turned out by the British at the end of the year (1760 AD.). The country was impoverished by these successive raids, and in 1770 it was desolated by famine. Bankura was ceded to the British, as part of the Burdwan Chakla, in 1760, and Chaitanya Singh was reduced from the position of tributary prince to that of a mere Zemindar. To add to his miseries, a rival claimant appeared in the person of his cousin Govinda Singh, and litigation in the British Courts now took the place of the pitched battles of yore, and brought him to the verge of ruin. The Raja was imprisoned for arrears of landtax, and Mr. Keating was appointed Collector; but the inhabitants, supported by the Collector’s head- assistant, made common cause with the hillment to oppose the government, and were not brought under control without some difficulty (1790 A.D.) "The disorders in Bishnupur would", says Sir William Hunter, "in any less troubled time, have been called rebellion." This attempt to throw off the British yoke has been described by a learned local historian as "the last flicker of the military spirit." It is said that Chaitanya Singh went to Calcutta to lay his case before the British Courts with the family idol Madan Mohan, first established by Bir Hambir, and pawned it to Gokul Mitra of Bag Bazar. As however he was unable to repay the loan, the god was set up at Bag Bazar where it is worshipped to this day, and the temple of Madan Mohan at Bishnupur has remained empty ever since. The removal of the presiding deity of the raj symbolized its down fall in the popular mind, and many pathetic ballads, commemorating the incident, are sung by local bards. Lord Clive finding the system of primogeniture prevalent in the Raj, had confirmed Chaitanya Singh in possession, and the Sadar Dewany Adalat also decided in his favour, but soon after the Rah was resumed by Government for arrears of revenue. At the decennial settlement of Lord Cornwallis the Raja was reinstated on his engaging to pay the exorbitant revenue of four lakhs of sicca rupees, and eventually in 1806 the estate was again sold for arrears of land revenue and bought up by the Maharaja of Burdwan. The family has since been dependent upon small pensions granted by Government and upon what little debutter property they had. The title died with Raja Ramkrishna Singh. The descendants of Chaitanya Singh are to be found at Bishnupur and also at Indas and Kuchiakole. Though the Raj is no more, the leading representatives of the family are still popularly called Rajas and Rani’s as the case may be, and are treated with great respect by the people. The late Babu Balindranath Singh of Indas, a scion of the Raj family and a finished scholar, enumerates the following causes of the decayand downfall of the bishnupur Raj:
The Maratha raids,
The famine of 1770,
The imposition of a crushing land- tax by the British Government,
Family dissensions. These are the immediate causes of dissolution, but the following are, according to him, the indirect causes which hastened the catastrophe:
The adoption of the Vaishnav cult and its corollary.
The construction of costly temples, putting a heavy strain on the financial resources of the kingdom. He observes: "The adoption of the Vaishnavite creed, though it marked a brilliant epoch in the history of Mallabhumi, did not fail to exercise an eneravatin in fluence upon the royal followers. Of all religious, the Vaishnative creed is the most incompatible with sword and scepter, pageantry and pride, bloody strife and fierce justice. There were indeed monarchs great in arms and in piety. But before long symptoms of imbecility which could be attributed only to a religious frame of mind made themselves manifest." He attempts to prove the truth of this observation by citing instances from the royal family of Bishnupur after their conversion to Vaishnavism.
This short account of the Bishnupur Raj may be fittingly brought to be a close by one or two extracts from the accounts of Abbe Raynal and Governor. Holwell, but it is fair to add that Mr. Grant, in his Analysis of the finances. Of Bengal, written in 1787, doubted "the existence of a state which seemed to realise the fable of the golden age." The singular situation of the country (Bissenpore) has preserved to the inhabitants their primitive happiness and the gentleness of their character, by securing them from the danger of being conquered, or imbruing their hands in the blood of their fellow creatures". Liberty and property are sacred in Bissenpore, Robbery. Either public or private, is never heard of. As soon as any stranger enters the territory, he comes under the protection of the laws, which provide for his security. He is furnished with guides at free cost, who conduct him from place to place, and are answerable for his person and effects. These maxims of probity are so generally received, that they direct even the operations of Government. Out of between seven and eight millions (about 330,000 on a average) it annually receives, without injury to agriculture or trade, what is not wanted to supply the unavoidable expenses of the State, is laid out in improvements. The Raja is enabled to engage in these humane employments, as he pays the Moguls only what tribute, and at what times, he thinks proper." (Abbe Ravnal translated from the French by J. Justamone, 1777).
Holwell, in his interesting Historical Events, printed in 765, says much to the same effect, and adds" from the happiness of his situation he (the Raja of Bissunpore) is perhaps the most independent Raja of Indostan... be can hardly be said to owe any allegiance to the Mogul or Subah, he some years deigns to sent to the Subah and acknowledgement by way of salaamy (or present) of 15,000 rupees, sometimes 20,000 and some years not anything at all, as he happens to be disposed. But is truth, it would be almost cruelty to molest these happy people, for in this district are the only vestiges of the beauty, purity, piety, reqularity, equity and strictness of the ancient Indostan Government... There are in this precinct, no less than three hundred and sixty considerable Pagodas, or places or public worship, erected by this Rajah, and his ancestors... Bissunpore, the capital, and chief residence of the Rajah and which gives a name to the whole district, is also the chief seat of trade; the produce of the country consists of Sal timbers (a wood equal in quality to the best of our oak), dammer laccas, an inferior sortment of raw silk, and coposs, and grain sufficient only for their consumption; it is from this district that the Bast India Companies are chiefly supplied with the article of shell lacca."
The city was strongly fortified by a long connected line of curtains and bastions, measuring seven miles in length, with small circular ravelins connecting many of the curtains. With in this outer line of fortifications lies the citadel, and within it again, the Raja’s resiedence, an insignificant pile of brick buildings, surrounded by majestic ruins.
Those temples are the most complete set of specimens of the peculiar Bengali style of temple architecture. The temple consists of a square building with a covered roof, with one tower rising in the centre, either alone or surrounded by other smaller corner towers. According to their number, the temple is called Pancharatna, navaratna (five towered, nine- towered), & c. The temples face the south, and are decorated on the front with carved brick panels, and the other walls are also similarly decorated on the front with carved brick panels, and the other walls are also similarly decorated on the front with carved brick panels, and the other walls are also similarly decorated in some cases. There are open galleries around, and inside the temples is the sanctuary with the altar of the god Stairs lead up to the towers of the roof. Four distinct types many be distinguished. The first has a single square has a single tower resting on a square building with the curved Bengali roof; the best examples of this type in brick are Madan Mohan, and in laterite Lalji and Radha Shyam. Of the Pancharatna type, with five- towers on the same building, the best example in brick is the Shyam Rai temple, and in laterrite the Madan Gopal temple. The fourth type is the Jor Bangla (Double Bungalow) type, so named because two buildings shaped like Bengali huts are joined together, surmounted by a small tower. A fine bird’s eye- view of the park- like scenery around, with the lakes and the river Dwarakeswar in the distance, may be had from the roof of this temple. The Shyam Rai is perhaps the oldest specimen of the Pancharatna type that exists in Bengal. Nowhere outside Bengal has this style of temple architecture been found, and owing to the late date of all the existing specimens, it is difficult to decide whether it existed at all in pre- Muhammadan times. The Shyam Rai and the Jor Bangla have also the finest specimens of carved titles, the walls being richly covered with carvings in brick. Some of the floral designs on the southern front of the temples are exceedingly beautiful, and in the group of temples on the south of the Lal Bandh a few specimens of the Gandhar style of sculpture are to be met with. The Rash Mancha, outside the fort, consists of a square chamber surrounded on each side by three galleries with arched openings and covered by a large phyramidical roof. The tradition is that all the local deities used to be brought here for the celebration of the Rash carnival of the Vaishnavs. There are, or were, Bhogmandirs or kitchens attached to al the temples where food for the deity was cooked and distributed among all the Brahmins of the town.
The Carvings represent religious scenes taken from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, e.g, episodes from the life of Rama and Krishna and of the eight other Avatars or incarnations of Vishnu, and there are also hunting and wrestling scenes, royal and religious processions, Vaishnav Sankirtan parties, warriors, ascetics, women dancing and Playing on various musical instruments, Krishna and Radha sailing on pleasure- boats, and all the varied incidents of the social life, sometimes gay, sometimes warlike, more often religious, of a Royal Court in the forestclad outskirts of mediaeval Bengal. Animal life in various life- like poses has been well represented in these carvings- elephants and horses gaily caparisoned, bulls, tigers, monkeys, wild boars, duck, etc. There are animated scenes portraying animal fights. Chariots drawn by horses and bulls are met with here and there. Battle scenes are not forgotten, and the peculiar armour and weapons used by the soldiers and the trappings of the horses and elephants may be studied on these carved temple walls. The dress worn by men and women, and a variety of other facts of sociological interest, too numerous to mention, will be noted by the observant visitor.
The fort is surrounded by a high earthen wall, and has a broad moat round it. The approach is through a fine large gateway built of laterite, with arrowslits on either side of the entrance for archers or riflemen. There are a few pieces of cannon lying on the high rampart just outside the front gate, the muzzle of one being shaped like a tiger’s head. They are of wrought iron, about five feet long and varying in thickness from six inches at the muzzle to a foot at the breach. But the most remarkable piece of iron ordnance is the cannon named Dalamardan, popularly called Dalmadal, lying half buried by the side of the Lalbandh lake. It is apparently made of sixty three hoops or short cylinders of wrought iron welded together, and overlying another cylinder, also of wrought iron, the whole being well welded and worked together. Though exposed to all weathers, it is still free from rust, and has a black polished surface. Its extreme length is 12 feet 51/2 inches, the diameter of the bore being 11 ½ inches at the muzzle, and 11 ¼ inches throughout the remainder of its length. It is the same cannon which, tradition relates, was fired by the god Madan Mohan when Bhaskar Pandit attacked Bishnupur at the head of the Marathas. There is a Persian inscription, which has been variously interpreted to mean one lakh or three lakhs, which many be taken to stand for either the cost of the cannon, or its murderous capacity.
Some of the Bandha or picturesque lakes of which seven can be traced, have now silted up, either wholly or in part. They were made by taking advantage of the natural hollows, and building embankments across them to confine the surface drainage. They served to furnish the city and the fort (on one of the walls of which there is a well- preserved square brick built reservoir for the storage of water) with a never failing supply of good fresh water, and also helped to flood the moats round the fort, adding greatly to the strength of the place. The gardens and pleasure grounds of the Rajas were laid out along the Lal Bandh.
It only remains to add that many of the temples at Bishnupur, including those that are most famous, as well as the shadeswar temple previously mentioned, have been preserved by the Government under the Ancient Monuments Preservation Act of Lord Curzon,- a piece of legislative enactment which constitutes one of his best titles to fame.
A pall of darkness has how fallen over the city and its ruins, and
"- far and wide
Temple and tower went down, nor left a site:
Chaos of ruins! Who shall trace the void,
O’er the dim fragments cast a lunar light,
And say, ‘Here was, or is, where all is doubly night?
The double night of ages, and of her,
Nights’daughter, ignorance, bath wrapt and wrap
All around us-"
But under the influence of the modern times this dense voil of ignorance is once more being lifted and the prosperity which left the city with the downfall of the Raj is again showing signs of return. The Railway has connected the town with the capital of the province and the centers of civilization, and the arts and industries are slowly reviving, and we may be permitted to conclude with the hope that more spacious days are in store for the people of Bishnupur in common with every other part of the province. The last member and representative of the Bishnupur Raj, Kumar Ramchandra singh, who used to study in the Bankura School with the help of a pension fromt eh British Government, has breathed his last from an attack of influeza, on 25th February last at an age of 17 only. With his death thus ended the line of the Bishnupur Raj family.
The do-chala Keshta Raya temple, built in 1643 AD and dedicated to Krishna, seems Islamic in design. This is probably due to the fact that it was constructed at a time when Muslim rules had already had a great effect on the art, architecture, literature and lifestyle of the whole northern part of the Indian sub-continent.
Built on a characteristic platform or plinth, its ornate walls rise up, windowless, to meet two tiled roofs between which is placed a small tower, with a similar covering. The exterior of the shrine is also studded with terra-cotta tiles but these are especially decorated with intricate local motifs, scenes from Hindu mythology and vernacular icons of the gods, to add a touch of lightness to the heavy red structure. The chronology of the Bishnupur dynasty bears the name of 57 kings who have swayed the destinies of the principality for more than ten centuries.
"The ancient Rajas of Bishnupur trace back their history to a time when Hindus were still reigning in Delhi, and the name of Mussalmans was not yet heard of in India. Indeed, they could already count five centuries of rule over the western frontier tracts of Bengal before Bakhityar Khiliji wrested that province from the Hindus. The Mussalman conquest of Bengal, however, made no difference to the Bishnupur princes," (R.C. Dutt) Towards the close of the sixteenth century the suzerainty of the Muhammadan Viceroys of Bengal was for the first time acknowledged by the Bishnupur Raj, and an annual tribute of Rs. 1,07,000 was promised, but the tribute does not appear to have been reqularly paid, the Rajas than as subjects. Muhammadan historians record that when Murshid Kuli Khan introduced a more centralized form of government in 1707-8 AD., the Raja of Bishnupur was exemped from his rigid requlations. The freedom of Bishnupur from Moslem influence may still be traced in the fact that only about 5.6 percent of the people of the district at present follow the religion of the prophet, and Brahmins form a very large percentage of the population, numbering about a lakh, coming, in point of population, next after the aboriginal Bauris and Santhals. Hindu music and Hindu architecture, as well as Hindu religion (of the vaishnavite form), found munificent patrons in the Rajas, and though the architectural glories of Bishnupur only excite the admiration of archaeologists now, the place still retains its supremacy in the vocal art. Jadu Bhatta’s is the most famous name among Bishnupur musicians. Babu Gopeswar Bannerjea, author of several books on music is the best know of the living musicians of Bishnupur. Only once, in the beginning of the eighteenth century, was Hinduism seriously threatened in reign of Raghunath Singh 11 when, infatuated by the wiles of a Muhammadan mistress named Lalji Bai, who was brought in the train of Sobha Singh’s daughter, whom Raghunath Singh married, after defearting Sobha Singh, who was the notorious but brilliant chieftain of Chetua Barda in Midnapur and overran Burdwan and unsuccessfully attacked Bishnupur. Raghunath Singh was about to embrace Islam with his whole Court but the senior queen, with the advice and approval of his ministers, sanctioned the murder of the Raja by his younger brother Gopal Singh, who then ascended the throne and saved the kingdom for the religion of his forefathers.
The Rajas of Bishunpur were at first Saivas, ie., worshippers of god Siva, and this is attested by two temples, one called Shandeswar about five miles away from the civil station, erected by Raja prithwi Malla in 1335 A.D. being the oldest temple extant, in these parts, and the other named Malleswar in the heart of the town erected nearly three centuries later in 1622 AD. In the palmy days of their power and prosperity the Rajas were however followers of the Vaishnav cult, and the city of Bishnupur itself came to be know as "Veiled Brindaban," and names derived from Vaishnav mythology were given to the embanked lakes known as Bandhs in and about the town, and also to several of the surrounding villages Modern research has discovered a larger number of Vaishnav manuscripts in this sub- division than in any similar area in Bengal. From a slip attached to the manuscript of the recently discovered "Srikrishna Kirtab" of the famous poet Chandidas, which has caused such a stir in literary circles, it appears that it was preserved with unusual care in the Library of the Rajas of Bishnupur more than two centuries and a half ago. All the temple, save the two named above, are dedicated to one or otherof the forms of Vishnu, the great Bengali apostle of Vaishnavism, Sri Chaitanya, being among the number.
In the days of its greatest expansion, the kingdom of Bishnupur included almost all the neighbouring districts, and was known by the name of Mallabhum, i.e. the country of the Mallas or wrestlers. Midnapore is said to have been named after Medini Malla, first cousin of Adi Malla, the founder of the Raj; Kharagpur owes its origin to Kharga Malla, who reigned between 841 and 889 AD.; and the name of Bankura has been traced to Banku ray, the youngest son of king Hambir, a contemporary of Akbar. Murari Misra, author of the Sanskrit drama Anargha- Raghava, which is freely quoted from in that standard work on Rhetorie, the Sahitys Darpan, Ramai Pundit, the author of the Sunya Purana which is devoted to the propagation of the worship of Buddha in the guise of Dharma and is one of the earliest specimens of genuine Bengali literature extant, and Subhankara the arith metician, whose system of ready- reckoning is still memorized by Bengali schoolboys, flourished in this kingdom, and later Vaishnav literature makes frequent mention of the only independent Hindu Kingdom in Bengal where Vaishnavism was accepted as the State religion.
The Army was orgainsed on a feudal basis and was maintained by grants of land known collectively as the Sanapatt Mehal. A comprehensive system of military police prevailed, known under the names of Ghatwals, sadiwals, Simandars, &c., who held service- tenures under a quitrent known as Panchak and whose duties included the prevention of robberies, the maintenance of boundaries, and the preservation of peace and order, Justice was administered in the villages by the Patradhar is, i.e., those who were appointed under a patra or royal charter, and also my Mukhyas or headmen, the king in council, assisted by learned Court Pandits, forming the highest court of appeal. The unqualified eulogium bestowed by competent foreign observers on the simple yet efficient system of administration prevailing in Bishnupur proves that the government was suited to the needs of the unsophisticated people among whom the Rajas held sway.
The founder of the dynasty, Gopal, better known as Adi Malla, settled at Laugram, off Police Station Kotalpur. Many curious legends testify to his Kshattriya origin, and although his descendants called themselves Mallas for many centuries, they later on assumed the Kshattriya title of Singh, Mallas are called Vratyas in the Code of Manu, and classed with Dravidians. "The fact that the Rajas of Bishnupur called themselves Malla (an aboriginal title) for many centuries before they assumed the Kshattriya title of Singh, the fact that down to the present day they are known as Bagdi Rajas all over Bengal, as well as numerous local facts and circumstances go to prove that the Rajas of Bishnupur are Kshattriyas, because of their long independence and their past history, but not by descent. The story of descent is legendary, but the Kshattriyas of Bishnupur can show the same letters patent for their Kshattriyahood as the Rajputs of Northern India or the original Kshattriyas of India could show, viz., military profession and the exercise of royal powers for centuries." (R. C. Dutt) Adi Malla was crowned in 695 AD. corresponding to the first year of the Malla Era, which falls short of the current Bengali Era by 101 years. He defeated the chief of Pradyumnapur (off Police Station Jaypur) and following an ancient Hindu custom, celebrated the coronation ceremony by worshipping the flag of Indra, the Jupiter of the Hindu Pantheon a custom which prevails tot his day at Bishnupur, the occasion being marked by large festive gatherings of Santhals, with whose did Adi Malla is said to have vanquished his adversary. He was followed, down to the middle of the sixteenth century, by forty- eight rulers in succession who were engaged in waging constant warfare with the neightbouring chiefs and in extending and consolidation their dominions. The capital is said to have been removed to Bishnupur by Jagat Malla, the nineteenth king of the dynasty, about the middle of the eleventh century.
With Hambir we take leave of the more or less legendary accounts, and enter into what may be termed the historical period, for he was the first king to be mentioned by the Muhammadan historians. He gained the title of " Bir" or Hero by defeating the Pathanas in alliance with the Moguls. A moat outside the outer- most line of fortifications, about a mile from the present civil station, known as the "Ford of Skulls." Preserves the memory of the bloody encounter. When the Mogul Viceroy Man Singh invaded Orissa, his son Jagat Singh was detached to check the Afghan Commander Kullu Khan but was put to flight and rescued by Bir Hambir and brought to Bishnupur. The fort received by Bir Hambir and brought to Bishnupur. The fort received its last embellishent in the reign of this king, and guns were mounted on its walls, and the fine large stone gateway of the citadel was built by him. But and an unexpected incident put a citadel was built by him. But and an unexpected incident put a sudden stop to his military career and turned him into a gentle and devout Vaishnav. The Vaishnav workd relate that the celebrated Srinivas Acharya, on his way from Brindaban to Gour with valuable Manuscripts, was robbed near Bishnupur by Bir Hambir’s men, but he so moved the Raja by his exposition of the Bhagavata Purana that, the latter forthwith became a convert, and even composed two well- known songs which have been preserved in Vaishnavite collections.
His successor Raghunth Singh 1 (1627- 57) first gained the title of Singh. As he was going to the house of his religious preceptor at Jajigram, he was arrested by the Kazi of Burdwan for arrears of revenue and sent to Rajmehal, where the Viceroy, Prince Suja, being pleased with his expuisite horsemanship granted him the title of Singh (Lion), which is the title the dynasty has borne ever since. Raghunath built some of the best- known temples, and by this time bishnupur seems to have risen considerably in importance, being described by local chroniclers as rivaling the city of Indra in beauty and containing theatres, barracks, stables, storehouses, armouries and a treasury. But with the introduction of the arts of peace, the military glory of the principality began to decline.
Bir Singh succeeded his father Raghunath. He was a cruel king, but kept the subordinate chiefs in order, and excavated the lakes or Bandhs, of which the Jamuna Bandh near the Railway Station and the Lal Bandh outside the fort are in the best state of preservation. He further added to the beauty of the town by building temples, which had now become the fashion with every succeeding ruler or his queen. It must be said to their credit that though they lavished all the resources of the State in adorning these places of worship, they took little care to build a suitable palace for themselves, and the contrast cannot fail to strike the most casual visitor to the ruins.
The end of the seventeenth century left the Bishnupur Rajas at the summit of their fortunes. Gopal singh (1730- 45) was a pious prince, and he issued an edict that all his people should count their beads and repeat the name of the god every evening at sunset. This evening prayer, owing to its compulsory character, was not very popular, and is still known by the name of Gopal Singher Begar. In his reign, when Ali Vardi Khan was the Viceroy of Bengal, the Marathas under Bhaskar pundit appeared before the gates of Bishnupur, and encamped in the portion of the town occupied by the sub- divisional offices which still goes by the name of Maratha chhauni. Gopal Singh retreated inside the fort and ordered both citizens and soldiers to offer prayers to the presiding deity Madan Mohan to save the city. The prayer was heard, and the legend relates that the guns were fired without human assistance by the god himself. The Marathas, being unable to pierce the strong fortifications, retired, but mercilessly ravaged the surrounding country, as graphically described in the Riaz us- salatin.
The last of the Rajas of Bishnupur was Chaitanya Singh, who true to his name, was a devout Vaishnav of retiring disposition and therefore unfit to hold the reins of government during the troublous times which followed. In his reign, which commenced in 1752, the Marathas again appeared and made Bishnupur their headquarters during the invasion of Shah Alum whom they assisted. They retired when NawabMir Jaffer, supported by a British force under Major Calliaud, advanced to meet them, but left a small force at Bishnupur which was turned out by the British at the end of the year (1760 AD.). The country was impoverished by these successive raids, and in 1770 it was desolated by famine. Bankura was ceded to the British, as part of the Burdwan Chakla, in 1760, and Chaitanya Singh was reduced from the position of tributary prince to that of a mere Zemindar. To add to his miseries, a rival claimant appeared in the person of his cousin Govinda Singh, and litigation in the British Courts now took the place of the pitched battles of yore, and brought him to the verge of ruin. The Raja was imprisoned for arrears of landtax, and Mr. Keating was appointed Collector; but the inhabitants, supported by the Collector’s head- assistant, made common cause with the hillment to oppose the government, and were not brought under control without some difficulty (1790 A.D.) "The disorders in Bishnupur would", says Sir William Hunter, "in any less troubled time, have been called rebellion." This attempt to throw off the British yoke has been described by a learned local historian as "the last flicker of the military spirit." It is said that Chaitanya Singh went to Calcutta to lay his case before the British Courts with the family idol Madan Mohan, first established by Bir Hambir, and pawned it to Gokul Mitra of Bag Bazar. As however he was unable to repay the loan, the god was set up at Bag Bazar where it is worshipped to this day, and the temple of Madan Mohan at Bishnupur has remained empty ever since. The removal of the presiding deity of the raj symbolized its down fall in the popular mind, and many pathetic ballads, commemorating the incident, are sung by local bards. Lord Clive finding the system of primogeniture prevalent in the Raj, had confirmed Chaitanya Singh in possession, and the Sadar Dewany Adalat also decided in his favour, but soon after the Rah was resumed by Government for arrears of revenue. At the decennial settlement of Lord Cornwallis the Raja was reinstated on his engaging to pay the exorbitant revenue of four lakhs of sicca rupees, and eventually in 1806 the estate was again sold for arrears of land revenue and bought up by the Maharaja of Burdwan. The family has since been dependent upon small pensions granted by Government and upon what little debutter property they had. The title died with Raja Ramkrishna Singh. The descendants of Chaitanya Singh are to be found at Bishnupur and also at Indas and Kuchiakole. Though the Raj is no more, the leading representatives of the family are still popularly called Rajas and Rani’s as the case may be, and are treated with great respect by the people. The late Babu Balindranath Singh of Indas, a scion of the Raj family and a finished scholar, enumerates the following causes of the decayand downfall of the bishnupur Raj:
The Maratha raids,
The famine of 1770,
The imposition of a crushing land- tax by the British Government,
Family dissensions. These are the immediate causes of dissolution, but the following are, according to him, the indirect causes which hastened the catastrophe:
The adoption of the Vaishnav cult and its corollary.
The construction of costly temples, putting a heavy strain on the financial resources of the kingdom. He observes: "The adoption of the Vaishnavite creed, though it marked a brilliant epoch in the history of Mallabhumi, did not fail to exercise an eneravatin in fluence upon the royal followers. Of all religious, the Vaishnative creed is the most incompatible with sword and scepter, pageantry and pride, bloody strife and fierce justice. There were indeed monarchs great in arms and in piety. But before long symptoms of imbecility which could be attributed only to a religious frame of mind made themselves manifest." He attempts to prove the truth of this observation by citing instances from the royal family of Bishnupur after their conversion to Vaishnavism.
This short account of the Bishnupur Raj may be fittingly brought to be a close by one or two extracts from the accounts of Abbe Raynal and Governor. Holwell, but it is fair to add that Mr. Grant, in his Analysis of the finances. Of Bengal, written in 1787, doubted "the existence of a state which seemed to realise the fable of the golden age." The singular situation of the country (Bissenpore) has preserved to the inhabitants their primitive happiness and the gentleness of their character, by securing them from the danger of being conquered, or imbruing their hands in the blood of their fellow creatures". Liberty and property are sacred in Bissenpore, Robbery. Either public or private, is never heard of. As soon as any stranger enters the territory, he comes under the protection of the laws, which provide for his security. He is furnished with guides at free cost, who conduct him from place to place, and are answerable for his person and effects. These maxims of probity are so generally received, that they direct even the operations of Government. Out of between seven and eight millions (about 330,000 on a average) it annually receives, without injury to agriculture or trade, what is not wanted to supply the unavoidable expenses of the State, is laid out in improvements. The Raja is enabled to engage in these humane employments, as he pays the Moguls only what tribute, and at what times, he thinks proper." (Abbe Ravnal translated from the French by J. Justamone, 1777).
Holwell, in his interesting Historical Events, printed in 765, says much to the same effect, and adds" from the happiness of his situation he (the Raja of Bissunpore) is perhaps the most independent Raja of Indostan... be can hardly be said to owe any allegiance to the Mogul or Subah, he some years deigns to sent to the Subah and acknowledgement by way of salaamy (or present) of 15,000 rupees, sometimes 20,000 and some years not anything at all, as he happens to be disposed. But is truth, it would be almost cruelty to molest these happy people, for in this district are the only vestiges of the beauty, purity, piety, reqularity, equity and strictness of the ancient Indostan Government... There are in this precinct, no less than three hundred and sixty considerable Pagodas, or places or public worship, erected by this Rajah, and his ancestors... Bissunpore, the capital, and chief residence of the Rajah and which gives a name to the whole district, is also the chief seat of trade; the produce of the country consists of Sal timbers (a wood equal in quality to the best of our oak), dammer laccas, an inferior sortment of raw silk, and coposs, and grain sufficient only for their consumption; it is from this district that the Bast India Companies are chiefly supplied with the article of shell lacca."
The city was strongly fortified by a long connected line of curtains and bastions, measuring seven miles in length, with small circular ravelins connecting many of the curtains. With in this outer line of fortifications lies the citadel, and within it again, the Raja’s resiedence, an insignificant pile of brick buildings, surrounded by majestic ruins.
Those temples are the most complete set of specimens of the peculiar Bengali style of temple architecture. The temple consists of a square building with a covered roof, with one tower rising in the centre, either alone or surrounded by other smaller corner towers. According to their number, the temple is called Pancharatna, navaratna (five towered, nine- towered), & c. The temples face the south, and are decorated on the front with carved brick panels, and the other walls are also similarly decorated on the front with carved brick panels, and the other walls are also similarly decorated on the front with carved brick panels, and the other walls are also similarly decorated in some cases. There are open galleries around, and inside the temples is the sanctuary with the altar of the god Stairs lead up to the towers of the roof. Four distinct types many be distinguished. The first has a single square has a single tower resting on a square building with the curved Bengali roof; the best examples of this type in brick are Madan Mohan, and in laterite Lalji and Radha Shyam. Of the Pancharatna type, with five- towers on the same building, the best example in brick is the Shyam Rai temple, and in laterrite the Madan Gopal temple. The fourth type is the Jor Bangla (Double Bungalow) type, so named because two buildings shaped like Bengali huts are joined together, surmounted by a small tower. A fine bird’s eye- view of the park- like scenery around, with the lakes and the river Dwarakeswar in the distance, may be had from the roof of this temple. The Shyam Rai is perhaps the oldest specimen of the Pancharatna type that exists in Bengal. Nowhere outside Bengal has this style of temple architecture been found, and owing to the late date of all the existing specimens, it is difficult to decide whether it existed at all in pre- Muhammadan times. The Shyam Rai and the Jor Bangla have also the finest specimens of carved titles, the walls being richly covered with carvings in brick. Some of the floral designs on the southern front of the temples are exceedingly beautiful, and in the group of temples on the south of the Lal Bandh a few specimens of the Gandhar style of sculpture are to be met with. The Rash Mancha, outside the fort, consists of a square chamber surrounded on each side by three galleries with arched openings and covered by a large phyramidical roof. The tradition is that all the local deities used to be brought here for the celebration of the Rash carnival of the Vaishnavs. There are, or were, Bhogmandirs or kitchens attached to al the temples where food for the deity was cooked and distributed among all the Brahmins of the town.
The Carvings represent religious scenes taken from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, e.g, episodes from the life of Rama and Krishna and of the eight other Avatars or incarnations of Vishnu, and there are also hunting and wrestling scenes, royal and religious processions, Vaishnav Sankirtan parties, warriors, ascetics, women dancing and Playing on various musical instruments, Krishna and Radha sailing on pleasure- boats, and all the varied incidents of the social life, sometimes gay, sometimes warlike, more often religious, of a Royal Court in the forestclad outskirts of mediaeval Bengal. Animal life in various life- like poses has been well represented in these carvings- elephants and horses gaily caparisoned, bulls, tigers, monkeys, wild boars, duck, etc. There are animated scenes portraying animal fights. Chariots drawn by horses and bulls are met with here and there. Battle scenes are not forgotten, and the peculiar armour and weapons used by the soldiers and the trappings of the horses and elephants may be studied on these carved temple walls. The dress worn by men and women, and a variety of other facts of sociological interest, too numerous to mention, will be noted by the observant visitor.
The fort is surrounded by a high earthen wall, and has a broad moat round it. The approach is through a fine large gateway built of laterite, with arrowslits on either side of the entrance for archers or riflemen. There are a few pieces of cannon lying on the high rampart just outside the front gate, the muzzle of one being shaped like a tiger’s head. They are of wrought iron, about five feet long and varying in thickness from six inches at the muzzle to a foot at the breach. But the most remarkable piece of iron ordnance is the cannon named Dalamardan, popularly called Dalmadal, lying half buried by the side of the Lalbandh lake. It is apparently made of sixty three hoops or short cylinders of wrought iron welded together, and overlying another cylinder, also of wrought iron, the whole being well welded and worked together. Though exposed to all weathers, it is still free from rust, and has a black polished surface. Its extreme length is 12 feet 51/2 inches, the diameter of the bore being 11 ½ inches at the muzzle, and 11 ¼ inches throughout the remainder of its length. It is the same cannon which, tradition relates, was fired by the god Madan Mohan when Bhaskar Pandit attacked Bishnupur at the head of the Marathas. There is a Persian inscription, which has been variously interpreted to mean one lakh or three lakhs, which many be taken to stand for either the cost of the cannon, or its murderous capacity.
Some of the Bandha or picturesque lakes of which seven can be traced, have now silted up, either wholly or in part. They were made by taking advantage of the natural hollows, and building embankments across them to confine the surface drainage. They served to furnish the city and the fort (on one of the walls of which there is a well- preserved square brick built reservoir for the storage of water) with a never failing supply of good fresh water, and also helped to flood the moats round the fort, adding greatly to the strength of the place. The gardens and pleasure grounds of the Rajas were laid out along the Lal Bandh.
It only remains to add that many of the temples at Bishnupur, including those that are most famous, as well as the shadeswar temple previously mentioned, have been preserved by the Government under the Ancient Monuments Preservation Act of Lord Curzon,- a piece of legislative enactment which constitutes one of his best titles to fame.
A pall of darkness has how fallen over the city and its ruins, and
"- far and wide
Temple and tower went down, nor left a site:
Chaos of ruins! Who shall trace the void,
O’er the dim fragments cast a lunar light,
And say, ‘Here was, or is, where all is doubly night?
The double night of ages, and of her,
Nights’daughter, ignorance, bath wrapt and wrap
All around us-"
But under the influence of the modern times this dense voil of ignorance is once more being lifted and the prosperity which left the city with the downfall of the Raj is again showing signs of return. The Railway has connected the town with the capital of the province and the centers of civilization, and the arts and industries are slowly reviving, and we may be permitted to conclude with the hope that more spacious days are in store for the people of Bishnupur in common with every other part of the province. The last member and representative of the Bishnupur Raj, Kumar Ramchandra singh, who used to study in the Bankura School with the help of a pension fromt eh British Government, has breathed his last from an attack of influeza, on 25th February last at an age of 17 only. With his death thus ended the line of the Bishnupur Raj family.
