Radha Shyam Temple

Radha Shyam Temple
রাধাশ্যাম মন্দির
Religion
Affiliation	Hinduism
District	Bankura
Deity	Radha Shyam (Divine couple in Hinduism)
Location
Location	Bishnupur
State	West Bengal
Country	India
Geographic coordinates	23°4′20.85661″N 87°19′35.04274″E
Architecture
Type	Bengal temple architecture
Style	eka-ratna style
Founder	Chaitanya Singha
Date established	1758; 267 years ago (1758)
Specifications
Direction of façade	South
Length	12.5 metres (41 ft)
Width	12.5 metres (41 ft)
Height (max)	10.7 metres (35 ft)
Monument of National Importance
Official name: Radha Shyam Temple
Type	Cultural
Reference no.	N-WB-23
[1]

Radha Shyam Temple[1] or Rādhāśyāma mandir is a Krishna temple in Bishnupur town of Medinipur division in Indian state of West Bengal. In this temple, the Hindu god Krishna is worshiped in the form of Shyam; along with Shyam, the murti of Radha is also worshipped.[2]

History and architecture

According to the foundation plaque found in the temple, the temple was founded in 1758 by King Chaitanya Singha of Mallabhum.[3][4] 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.[2] The temple is known for its ornamentation, which adorns the surrounding walls of this temple. The ornamentations are mainly placed on terracotta plaques set into the walls.[1] The walls of the temple are decorated with scenes from the Ramayana, Anantasayin Vishnu and widely recurring figures of Radha-Krishna.[5]

Currently the temple is preserved as one of the archeological monuments by the Archaeological Survey of India.[6] Since 1998, the Radha Shyam temple is on the UNESCO World Heritage Site's Tentative list.[7]

Gallery

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References

1. Biswas 1992, pp. 20–21.
2. Biswas 1992, p. 20.
3. "ASI, Kolkata Circle". www.asikolkata.in.
4. Chakraborty, Shantanu (18 January 2018). "Mallabhūma biṣṇupura" মল্লভূম বিষ্ণুপুর [Mallabhum Bishnupur]. www.anandabazar.com (in Bengali). ABP. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
5. Biswas 1992, p. 21.
6. "ASI, Kolkata Circle". www.asikolkata.in.
7. Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. "Temples at Bishnupur, West Bengal". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 2024-09-03.

Bibliography

• Biswas, S. S. (1992). "The Temples". Bishnupur (2nd ed.). New Delhi: Archaeological Survey of India. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
• Ghosh, Pika (2005). Temple to Love: Architecture and Devotion in Seventeenth-Century Bengal. Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press.
• Bandyopadhyay, Amiya Kumar (1971). Bām̐kuṛā jēlāra purākīrti বাঁকুড়া জেলার পুরাকীর্তি [Antiquities of Bankura District]. Kolkata: Public Works Department, West Bengal.

External links