Rasmancha Temple, Vishnupur, West Bengal India

he oldest brick temple in Bishnupur, Rasmancha has unique structure and is the only temple of its kind in India. Built by Malla King Bir Hambir in 1600 CE, the temple has only one chamber, the sanctum sanctorum, with an elongated tower encircled by turrets which are of hut shapes. It is enclosed by a passageway and there are some big cannons which date back to Malla period. During the festival of Vaishnava Ras, all the idols of Radha Krishna of Bishnupur region used to be bought here to be worshipped by the people. The festival is no longer held now; it was held till 1932 and then stopped. Moreover, Rasmancha is no longer a temple today; it is a protected monument now.

Rasmancha is a beautiful brick structure that was built in 1600 AD by the King Veer Hambir. The temple was used to keep the idols of Lord Krishna from various temples in the town during the Ras festival. The monument is built on a raised platform with a pyramidal structure on the top supported by large number of pillars.

 The height of this structure is 12.5M, length and breadth is 24.5M each. The pedestal of this temple is built of laterite stone and the upper portion is of burnt clay bricks. Architecturally this temple is a mixture of three different styles; the upper portion is like a pyramid, the middle portion is like traditional Bengal’s hut and the lower portion resembles Islamic architecture.