Radha Shyam Temple, also known as Rādhāśyāma Mandir, is a Krishna temple in Bishnupur town of Medinipur division in the Indian state of

West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...

. In this temple, the Hindu god

Krishna Krishna (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God (Hinduism), Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, c ...

is worshiped in the form of Shyam; along with Shyam, the

murti In the Hinduism, Hindu tradition, a ''murti'' (, ) is a devotional image, such as a statue or icon, of a Hindu deities, deity or Hindu saints, saint used during ''Puja (Hinduism), puja'' and/or in other customary forms of actively expressing d ...

Radha Radha (, ), also called Radhika, is a Hindu goddess and the chief consort of the god Krishna. She is the goddess of love, tenderness, compassion, and devotion. In scriptures, Radha is mentioned as the avatar of Lakshmi and also as the Prak� ...

is also worshipped.

History and architecture

According to the foundation plaque found in the temple, the temple was founded in 1758 by King Chaitanya Singha of

Mallabhum Mallabhum (The country originally known as Mallabhoom or Mallabani or Bishnupur kingdom) was the kingdom ruled by the Malla kings of Bishnupur, primarily in the present Bankura district in Indian state of West Bengal. History Territory of th ...

. The temple is a unique example of eka-ratna temple architecture, which belongs to the ''ratna'' style developed in medieval Bengal. The roof of this temple is square and curved, with curved edges and a domed ''shikhar'' (tower) in the middle. The temple is known for its ornamentation, which adorns the surrounding walls of this temple. The ornamentations are mainly placed on

terracotta Terracotta, also known as terra cotta or terra-cotta (; ; ), is a clay-based non-vitreous ceramic OED, "Terracotta""Terracotta" MFA Boston, "Cameo" database fired at relatively low temperatures. It is therefore a term used for earthenware obj ...

plaques set into the walls. The walls of the temple are decorated with scenes from the ''

Ramayana The ''Ramayana'' (; ), also known as ''Valmiki Ramayana'', as traditionally attributed to Valmiki, is a smriti text (also described as a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic) from ancient India, one of the two important epics ...

'', Anantasayin

Vishnu Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...

and widely recurring figures of

Radha-Krishna Radha-Krishna (IAST , ) is the combined form of the Hindu god Krishna with his chief consort and ''shakti'' Radha. They are regarded as the feminine as well as the masculine realities of God, in several Krishnaite traditions of Vaishnavism. In ...

. Currently the temple is preserved as one of the archeological monuments by the

Archaeological Survey of India The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexander ...

. Since 1998, the Radha Shyam temple is on the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

World Heritage Site's Tentative list.

Gallery

File:Terracotta work on Radha Shyam Temple.jpg File:Radhashyam Temple, Bishnupur 05.jpg File:Bishnupur Radha Shyam Temple Bishnupur West Bengal 05.jpg File:Bishnupur Radha Shyam Temple Bishnupur West Bengal 09.jpg File:Terracotta work on Radhashyam Temple.JPG File:Stucco work on Radhashyam Temple, Bishnupur 2.JPG

References

Bibliography

* * *

External links

{{Mallabhum Krishna temples Hindu Temple completed in 1758 Mallabhum temples Temples in Bishnupur, Bankura