Bishnupur
Bishnupur is a city and a municipality in Bankura district, West Bengal, India.
It has terracotta temples built by the Malla rulers, historic Radha Krishna temples built during 1600–1800 CE and the Baluchari sarees. In 1997 the Temples of Bishnupur were placed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site's Tentative list.
Getting to Bishnupur
The nearest airport is Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport (RDP IATA) at Durgapur, but only a few flights are present at the airport. Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport (CCU IATA) at Kolkata is the nearest airport to get to Bishnupur smoothly.
- 01Bishnupur railway station SER
It takes about 3 hr 30 min to 4 hr 15 min from Kolkata, distance 201 km.
- 02Bishnupur Bus Stand
West Bengal Transport Corporation (WBTC) buses ply regularly between Esplanade Bus Terminus of Kolkata and Bishnupur.
Worth seeing
Bishnupur being a temple town, the focus is on temples, several of them built of terracotta during the reign of the Malla kings, who ruled over the area prior to the arrival of the British. Bishnupur also hosts several laterite stone temples along with several other religious and non-religious structures. The sites of Bishnupur are clustered around the Rasmancha.
- 01Rasmancha
Built in 1600 by Bir Hambir it is the oldest standing structure in Bishnupur.
- 02Shyamrai Temple
The temple has five pinnacle, hence the name Panch Ratna.
- 03Gumgarh
A square structure without windows or doors atop a small mound.
- 04Kestorai Temple
It follows the jora bangle style of architecture and hence is popularly known as the Jorbangle Temple.
- 05Radheshyam Temple
Just next to the Kestorai Temple is the Radhashyam Temple.
- 06Lalji Temple
A little away is the Radha Laljiu Temple, built 100 years earlier than the Radhashyam Temple the temple follows a similar single pinnacled structure.
Things to do
It is also a great centre for music - the Bishnupur gharana is well known in classical music. Look out for opportunities, check where you stay, if you are an Indian classical music fan.
Where to eat
Bishnupur is a small town. One can find various small eateries in and around the temples as well as near the main bus stand. However, one should try Posto-r Bora. You may also try various types of fries (telebhaja) and Sweetmeat near Sibdas Girls school prepared from pure Ghee. If you want a simple Bengali lunch with posto bora, Hotel Monalisa is the place to go.
Getting around Bishnupur the local way
- Get aroundA combination of walk and cycle rickshaw can work out very well.
From Wikivoyage: Bishnupur (West Bengal), CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-06.
Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see Commons), Wikimedia Commons.