Located 13 km east of Bishnupur, West Bengal, the small town of Joypur is home to two Navaratna (nine-pinnacled) terracotta temples, located in Dutta Para and De Para. The Dutta and De families, prominent local zamindars and cloth merchants, constructed these temples.
The Radha Damodar Temple, built by the Dutta family, stands as a relic of their once thriving handloom cloth business. This business, known for producing kete handloom fabric, catered to regions as far as Punjab, Jalandhar, and Amritsar. Over time, however, the business declined over three generations ago, leaving behind this temple and their now ruined ancestral home.
The two-story Navaratna temple, standing about 12 meters tall, sits on a square base and faces south. Although the temple’s foundation date remains unknown, its architectural style suggests that it was likely built in the 19th century. The temple’s nine ratnas (pinnacles) are ridged rekha in style, four are situated on the roof of the first floor, while the remaining five are placed on the second floor.
The temple features two triple-arched entrances, one on the eastern side and one on the southern side. Terracotta work adorns only these two sides, while the other sides of the ground floor are blank, which makes the temple appear dilapidated from the road. The base panels, however, feature decorative terracotta work as well.
On the second floor, a triple-arched gateway is located on the southern side, featuring terracotta panels. The other three sides of this floor also have triple arches, though instead of gateways, they are filled with three large figures.
Though my visit to the temple was hurried, due to my eagerness to reach the grand Gokulchand Temple, located just 2.5 km southeast of Joypur. I managed to mostly document the main south-facing entrance. This entrance is adorned with intricate terracotta work, showcasing remarkable craftsmanship.
The central arch panel is divided into two sections. The top section depicts a scene featuring Krishna, Radha, and the Gopinis. The lower section is split into two parts: on the right, we see Rama, with Sita and Hanuman in attendance, while the left features a fascinating scene of a figure seated on a throne surrounded by three women and one man. Upon close inspection, the figure seated on the throne is revealed to be a woman—this depicts “RaiRaja,” where Radha, instead of Krishna, is portrayed as the reigning queen.
The left arch panel depicts Arjuna and Karna fighting during the battle of Kurukshetra from the Mahabharata.
The right arch panel illustrates the famous battle between Rama and Ravana from the Ramayana.
Above these entrance panels lies a row of nine terracotta panels, each one telling a unique story. From left to right, these panels depict:
Above these panels is a larger arch-shaped panel showing various figures from social life, including some European figures, though these details are less refined compared to the panels below. The side walls feature mainly Dasavatar (ten incarnations of Vishnu) figures, some of which have been unfortunately whitewashed.
On the upper floor of the southern entrance, another triple-arched gateway features terracotta work. However, the terracotta here is more rudimentary, and a row of nine musicians, four of whom are now headless, sits above the gateway.
The central panel on this upper floor depicts Bhishma on his bed of arrows, a famous scene from the Mahabharata. The left arch panel shows five warriors in discussion, possibly the Pandava princes. The right arch panel illustrates a scene from a popular folk tale in Bengal, where Radha worships Krishna in the guise of Kali.
This story, known as Krishna Kali, tells of Radha’s husband, Ayan Ghosh, who suspects an affair between his wife and Krishna. Informed by Kutila, Ayan Ghosh rushes into a room where Radha was thought to be alone with Krishna. However, Krishna transforms into Kali just as Ayan enters, leaving him bewildered to find Radha worshiping the goddess Kali instead of being with Krishna.
I wasn’t alone in feeling bewildered—much like Ayan, I too was left with a sense of unfinished discovery, as I didn’t have enough time to fully explore and document this remarkable temple. Joypur’s many temples and ruins deserve at least a few hours of your time – don’t make the same mistake I did!
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