Bishnupur

The Malla rulers of Bishnupur built through the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries in the only material the delta offered in quantity: brick, faced with terracotta plaques moulded and fired with scenes from the Ramayana, Mahabharata and Krishna stories, along with hunts, boats and daily life, covering whole facades. The temple forms are equally local, notably the chala, copying the curved roof of a Bengali thatched hut in brick, and the ratna, with pinnacles. Rasmancha, of 1600, is a pyramidal brick structure where all the town's Krishna images were once brought together for a festival. Baluchari silk sarees and Bishnupur gharana music also come from here.

What you actually see

• The terracotta panels - moulded plaques covering temple facades.
• The chala roofs - brick temples copying thatched hut curves.
• Rasmancha - a pyramidal brick structure of 1600 for the Krishna festival.
• The Baluchari weaving - silk sarees with narrative woven borders.

When to go

October to March; Bengal summers are hot and humid. Mornings light the terracotta relief best. The temples are spread across the town and a cycle rickshaw circuit is usual.

Honest expectations

Many panels are eroded or have lost detail, brick being a soft material. Temples are spread out and the combined ticket covers only some. Interpretation is limited.

Nearby

Bankura lies north; Kolkata is east.