Located 450m west of Radha Binod Temple in the north of Bishnupur, the Madan Mohan Temple was constructed in 1694 by Durjan Singha Dev, the 53rd Malla king and son of Bir Singha Dev. He ruled from 1682 to 1702, and was respected as a gentle, logical, pious and kind hearted king. It was during his reign that several Portuguese, French, and British traders came to Bishnupur, and the town flourished as a result.
Built on a large 16m square laterite plinth, this south-facing eka-ratna temple erected to enshrine the guardian deity of the Mallas measures 12.2m square and reaches a height of 10.7m.
Three arched entrances on three side of the temple open into a corridor which, through another arched gateway, opens into the main sanctum. The entire building, including its roof, is constructed with terracotta brick.
Right : Main (south) elevation
Directly opposite the temple to the south is a hut-style Natmandir.
The temple entrances have cusped arches and are very narrow and low. The reason is simple – to hold a huge roof on top, the architects had to create a wide base. They also did not have the liberty of placing huge stone blocks as lintels – all they had was small burnt clay bricks.
The amount of creativity shown by the architects of that period despite the limitations is quite remarkable, and they did a good job, this temple has stood the test of time.
The Madan Mohan temple is celebrated for its terracotta ornamentation that covers the south-facing elevation, the other three elevations have been almost entirely left plain. The entire surface of the main facade is covered with beautiful terracotta panels which depict the story of Mahabharata, Krishna’s childhood and Ramayana.
The terracotta panels are uniformly distributed over the facade, gently swelling over the entrance. A visual rhythm is derived from the manipulation of the bands framing the panels, in which vivid and active scenes take place. The overall effect is almost hypnotic.
The principal panels above the main entranceway are filled with battle-scenes from the Mahabharata, quite unusual for temples of this period in Bengal which primarily reserve such panels only for the Ramayana.
In general, these panels are almost identical to Ramayana battle depictions, although there are no monkeys or demonic fighters; the warrior Bhishma, lying on a bed of arrows, however, is included. Before his death Bhishma requests Arjuna to bring him holy water; Arjuna shoots an arrow into the earth and Ganga water springs forth.
The corner elements are mostly carved with hunters and archers, above which rise looped stalk and arabesque foliation motifs.
When visiting be sure to look out for a Naba Nari Kunjar on one of the base friezes, a wonderful depiction of nine Gopinis forming an elephant.
Many of the base friezes depict cows, geese, dancers, boating and hunting scenes.
Special mention has to made of the pillars, exquisitely carved with scenes depicting figures engaged in dancing, singing and playing drums.
The terracotta ornamentation continues into the porch, although the lower light levels made it awkward to capture them well.
Unusually for many of the terracotta temples in Bishnupur, this is still a living temple. In the sanctum resides Madan Mohan and Radha- a form of Lord Krishna and one of the incarnations of the Hindu god Vishnu.
Being located over 1km north of the main cluster of temples in Bishnupur, the Madan Mohan temple seems to be largely overlooked by visitors. It’s a great shame, as this structure definitely warrants a place in the top tier of temples that should not be missed during any visit to the temple town.
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