Malleswar Temple

Malleswar Temple
Religion
Affiliation	Hinduism
District	Bankura
Deity	Shiva
Location
Location	Bishnupur
State	West Bengal
Country	India
Geographic coordinates	23°4′47.51″N87°19′12.66″E / 23.0798639°N 87.3201833°E / 23.0798639; 87.3201833
Architecture
Type	Bengal temple architecture
Style	deul
Founder	Bir Singha
Date established	1622;403 years ago (1622)
Specifications
Length	16.9 m (55 ft)
Width	16.9 m (55 ft)
Height (max)	10.7 m (35 ft)
Monument of National Importance
Official name: Mallesvara Temple
Type	Cultural
Reference no.	IN-WB-16
[1]

Malleswar Temple also known as Mallesvara Temple, ^[2] is a Shiva temple in Bishnupur in Indian state of West Bengal. This temple was dedicated to Shiva.

History and architecture

According to the Inscriptional plaque, the temple was founded in 1622 by King Bir Singha of Mallabhum. The Temple is built in the deul style temple architecture. ^{[3] [1]}

The structure's layout is square-shaped, with each side being 6.9 meters wide and 10.7 meters tall. Originally, the temple had a curved tower (rekha sikhara), but this was later replaced by an "octagonal" tower. ^[4] There are three other temples of the same style, called Krishna-Balarama, Kesara-Raya, and Nikunjabihar temples, but they are now in ruins. ^[1]

The temple is preserved as one of the archaeological monuments by the Archaeological Survey of India. ^[5]

Gallery

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  Krishna-Balarama Temple

References

1. Biswas 1992, pp. 13.
2. "Bankura Gazetteer CHAPTER XIV" (PDF). bankura.gov.in. Government of West Bengal. p. 185. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 August 2013. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
3. "ASI, Kolkata Circle". asikolkata.in.
4. Prasad, Sanjay (May 2022). "Bishnupur: A Town of Terracotta Temple and Artistic Excellence" (PDF). International Journal of Humanities & Social Science Studies. 8 (3): 102.
5. "ASI, Kolkata Circle". asikolkata.in.

Sources

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

External links

• Media related to Malleshwar Temple at Wikimedia Commons