Kalachand Temple

Hindu temple in West Bengal, India

Kalachand Temple

Religion
Affiliation| Hinduism
District| Bankura
Location
Location| Bishnupur
State| West Bengal
Country| India
Geographic coordinates| 23°3′33.17″N 87°19′29.96″E﻿ / ﻿23.0592139°N 87.3249889°E﻿ / 23.0592139; 87.3249889
Architecture
Type| Bengal temple architecture
Style| ek-ratna style
Founder| Raghunath Singha Dev
Date established| 1656; 369 years ago (1656)
Specifications
Length| 11.1 m (36 ft)
Width| 11.1 m (36 ft)
Height (max)| 9.2 m (30 ft)

Monument of National Importance

Official name: Kalachand Temple
Type| Cultural
Reference no.| IN-WB-12
[1]

Kalachand Temple, Located in Bishnupur in Indian state of West Bengal.

## History and architecture

[edit]

According to the inscriptional plaque found in the temple, the temple was founded in 1656 by Raghunath Singha Dev King of Mallabhum. The Temple is built in the Ek-ratna style temple architecture.[1][2]

on the south bank side of the Lal-bandh. The temple is about 11.1m square on plan and 9.2 m in height. The south-facing Kalachand temple stands with corridor around, with three arched openings on all four sides. The roof of the temple is curved, upon which the sikhara rises upwards and ends with an amalaka on the top. The temple is decorated with low relief carvings and the main subject is Krishna-lila. Apart from Krishna-lIlia scenes there are also representations of Pauranic deities, ascetics and dancers.[1][3]

Twelve such temples are still surviving in Bishnupur, of which two are made of brick and the rest are of laterite. The earliest of the eka-ratna temples is the Kalachand temple (in laterite).[1]

Currently, it is preserved as one of the archaeological monuments by the Archaeological Survey of India.[4] Since 1998, the Kalachand Temple is on the UNESCO World Heritage Site's Tentative list.[5]

## Gallery

[edit]

*   *   *   *   *   *   *

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d Biswas 1992, pp. 15.
2. ^ "ASI, Kolkata Circle". www.asikolkata.in.
3. ^ "BHID: Bishnupur Heritage Image Database". Indian Statistical Institute (ISI).
4. ^ "ASI, Kolkata Circle". www.asikolkata.in.
5. ^ Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. "Temples at Bishnupur, West Bengal". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 2024-09-03.

## Sources

[edit]

* Biswas, S. S. (1992). Bishnupur (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ed.). Director General, Archaeological Survey of India.

## Further reading

[edit]

* Sanyal, Hiteshranjan. "Kalachand temple, Dalmadal, Bishnupur". Hitesranjan Sanyal Collection at Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta. Retrieved 21 December 2024.

## External links

[edit]

* Media related to Kalachand Temple, Bishnupur at Wikimedia Commons

* v
* t
* e

Mallabhum

Rāḍha
(West Bengal

Jharkhand)|

| Malla dynasty|

* Adi Malla (694–710)
* Jay Malla (710–720)
* Benu Malla (720–733)
* Kinu Malla (733–742)
* Kanu Malla (757–764)
* Shur Malla (775–795)
* Kharga Malla (841–862)
* Yadav Malla (906–919)
* Jagat Malla (994–1007)
* Prakash Malla (1097–1102)
* Ram Malla (1185–1209)
* Bhim Malla (1240–1253)
* Prithwi Malla (1295–1319)
* Dinabandhu Malla (1334–1345)
* Shiv Singh Malla (1370–1407)
* Madan Malla (1407–1420)
* Chandra Malla (1460–1501)
* Bir Malla (1501–1554)
* Dhari Malla (1554–1565)

|

Malla Dev dynasty|

* Hambir Malla Dev (1565–1620)
* Dhari Hambir Malla Dev (1620–1626)

Singha Dev dynasty|

* Raghunath Singha Dev (1626–1656)
* Bir Singha Dev (1656–1682)
* Durjan Singha Dev (1682–1702)
* Raghunath Singha Dev II (1702–1712)
* Gopal Singha Dev I (1712–1748)
* Chaitanya Singha Dev (1748–1801)
* Madhav Singha Dev (1801–1809)
* Gopal Singha Dev II (1809–1876)
* Ramkrishna Singha Dev (1876–1885)
* Dwhajamoni Devi (1885–1889)
* Nilmoni Singha Dev (1889–1903)
* Churamoni Devi (Regency) (1903–1930)

Singha Thakur dynasty|

* Kalipada Singha Thakur (1930–1983)

Bishnupur
gharana|

| Court singers & musicians|

* Bahadur Khan
* Gadadhar Chattopadhyaya
* Ram Shankar Bhattacharya
* Anantalal Bandopadhyay

|

Notable|

* Jadunath Bhattacharya
* Gopeshwar Bandopadhyay
* Vande Mataram
* Ramsharan College of Music

Mallabhum
Temples

Architecture|

| Ratna Style|

| Eka-ratna Style|

* Malleswar Temple (1622)
* Kalachand Temple (1656)
* Lalji Temple (1658)
* Murali Mohan Temple (1665)

* Madan Mohan Temple (1694)
* Jor Mandir (1726)
* Radha Gobind Temple (1729)
* Radha Madhab Temple (1737)
* Radha Shyam Temple (1758)

|

Pancha-ratna Style|

* Shyam Ray Temple (1643)
* Gokulchand Temple (1643)
* Madan Gopal Temple (1665)

Nagara style|

* Sailesvara & Saresvara temple (1346)

Chala Style|

* Jor Bangla Temple (1655)
* Radhabinod Temple (1659)

Pyramid Style|

* Rasmancha (1600)

Dalan Style|

* Mrinmoyee Temple ( 997)

Rekha deul Style|

* Siddheshwara Temple (11th-12th century)
* Ekteswar Temple (1626-1656)

See also|

* Pathar Darja
* Gumghar
* Stone Chariot

Notable|

* Dal Madal Kaman
* Dashabatar Cards
* Baluchari sari
* Bipodtarini Devi
* Srinivasa Acarya
* Jagat Singh
* Baro-Bhuyan
* Mallabhum calendar

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template