My Bankura-Bishnupur Trip

Terracota

Bishnupur

Mandir-Temple

Terracota

Old structures

Indian architecture tells stories,narrates tales of days gone by ,of happy times and prosperous ones.

Houses in Bisnupur

On our last trip to Bishnupur we discovered the town like never before.....

We had gone for the shopping of my daughters trousseau . Bishnupur is a town in Bankura District . Its famous for its temples and sarees. Temples that are made of terracota and sarees that are hand woven by hand in looms in each and every home . The sarees are so exquisite  that a  Bengali brides trousseau is just not complete without a few of these Most famous Baluchari sarees.

We travelled from kolkata to Durgapur and then from there by road through lush green fields and also some very bad roads, I am sure by now they have been repaired, of course. A road trip from Durgapur to Bankura , ensures that apart from seeing nature up close and unfiltered, you get first-hand experience of the lifestyle led by people far away from the main cities. And if you choose the rail-way .....The Purulia Express and Rupasi Bangla Express are two of the options from Howrah station. In the town , we traveled by car but the best way to travel and I would strongly suggest, you hire a Cycle Rickshaw for sight seeing, cause its a small place and also it is very difficult to maneuver a car in the extremely thin streets of the small town .  Besides its a ride you will enjoy, an experience of a lifetime ! The bumpy roads are sure to leave you aching all over. If you want to go on a temple tour then you can never go wrong by choosing a ricksha ride. Rasmancha, The Madan Mohan temple, The Lalji temple, The Radheshyam temple, The Mrinmoyee temple, The local museum, Dalmadal cannon are a few "must-visit"  places in this town.  

Bishnupur is a temple town and the temples are close to each other. The Temples and other important buildings are made of terracota ,burnt(Baked) earth. Now days there is a growing concern for the preservation and rejuvenation of the ecology.  When man is trying hard to strike a balance between development and the environment, there is a lot to be learnt from the old  monumental buildings  of Bishnupur. Conventional methods of building use huge quantities of toxic, non-renewable materials that are harmful.

We stayed at Bishnupur Lodge, looked after by  the West Bengal Tourist Department. The food here is very simple and delicious, typically Bengali in style and strict hygiene is maintained.  Lunch at the lodge with a simple "Thali" and you are set for the trip to the Baluchari Saree shops. After a simple lunch of Rice, Dal, Postor bora, Aloo posto, Kofir tarkari, Tomato r Chatni, Fish curry, Mutton curry, Misti (Sweets) and plain Yoghurt(Doi/curd) we went shopping for Baluchari saris. The dishes were just like home cooked food and were served by men in a simple style. 

After lunch, our first destination was Kaniska Sari Emporium. There are quite a few shops you could visit for saris and  we did , but the place that I bought most from was a shop called Kaniska. There, we got to see men weaving sarees on looms which was a memorable experience. I found some very exclusive saris to choose from. Not only did we take Baluchari but we also choose Swarnachari, Kaantha stitch Sari , Silks, Gorod,  Baluchari cotton  and silk shawls and others. Take your time to choose from the thousand or so. We spent the whole afternoon shopping the famous Baluchuri saris and terracota souvenirs.

Kaju Kaatli

As we visited this time only with the main purpose of shopping we missed out on the Bishnupur Mela, a festival we had earlier been fortunate to be a part of. It is a handicrafts and cultural fair. It takes place from December end to January end and  this small town puts up at least 
5 lakh visitors, both Indian and foreign. On my last visit I had bought home a pair of large terracota horses.

Just as the Poush Mela of Santiniketan, 

The Baul Mela  of Durgapur and The Bishnupur Mela , is very famous and these three festivals are not to be missed. 

Home-Made Chanar Sandesh :

Sandesh

I have tried to recreate the sandesh we had at Bishnupur, the delicious taste still lingers in my mouth .

Full Cream Milk..............................1 litre

Cream Curd.....................................1 cup

Sugar /sugar free tablets................12-13

Rose Water.....................................1/2 tsp

Green Cardamom Powder.................1/4 tsp

Kaju/Almonds(Garnish)....................a handful

In a heavy bottomed pan,  put the milk to boil. When it boils remove from flame and add the curd and keep stirring slowly. Slowly the milk will curdle .Put a lid and give some standing time.

Take a clean muslin cloth and put the curdled milk in it and hang the cloth to drain off all water.

In a blender jar, take the chana/cottage cheese, sugar/ sugar free tablets, green cardamom powder and rose water. Churn to a smooth paste. 

Now make small equal size balls  and press each lightly with thumb. Put a cashew or an almond on top of each Sandesh. Keep on a serving tray and serve.

Just like that..........

Delhi is Style City...............anywhere you look you will see enough men and women preening like peacocks

Chennai is a Down To Earth City...........................Anywhere you drive or move you will find people moving away from you giving way.

Kolkata is a Warm City.........................anywhere you go you will always find people to hold your hand.

Mumbai is Rush Outside City...................Always rushing and always outside their homes...........

Bangalore is a Jam City.................................Always you will find yourself caught in a JAM!!