[A_Basu]

This was a 4-day trip from Bhubaneswar (2 days of stay, and 1 day each of driving to and from Bishnupur).

Route taken

• NH-16 from Bhubaneswar to Kharagpur
• NH-14 from Kharagpur to Bishnupur

Toll charges were INR 495/- each, both directions. There was only one toll plaza in Bengal, the remaining ones are all within Odisha.

Road conditions

• Bhubaneswar to Bishnupur: NH-16 has ongoing work. So, the usual diversions, shoddy speed humps, and uneven surface every now and then. After Kharagpur, it's NH-14 and the road is slightly better. Just at the turn from NH-14 where you enter Bishnupur, there's some patchy uneven surface because of flyover construction, but it's not something that can't be handled by even a sedan or hatchback.
• Within Bishnupur: GoogleMaps will show you the narrowest lanes possible. Have you been to Banaras? Seen the gullies there? Well, GoogleMaps will ask you to take you car inside that kind of gullies. Bishnupur is a village (all said and done), so before taking that turn that GoogleMaps is advising you to, ask the friendly local sitting/standing outside the houses whether that road is okay for a car. Because, sometimes, what looks okay at the turn will narrow considerably a little way on.
• Bishnupur to Kamarpukur and Joyrambati: GoogleMaps can show you more than one option. Stick to NH-14 for as long as possible, and only then take the branches off into the other roads. These are all bus routes too, and I saw several buses (all being driven like buses usually are!)
• Within Kamarpukur and Joyrambati: These are all village roads, but they're all tarred and well-maintained. Excellent roads. Take a bow, you two villages.
  
  
  
  Buses, again, these are all village roads though, so you might need to be careful when a bus is overtaking you because there's hardly any place for "side".

Stay options

Both Joyrambati and Kamarpukur have Ashram guesthouses of the Ramakrishna Mission, but we didn't consider that option. During our visit, we saw several lodges too at both these places.

We chose to stay at Bishnupur, which is a relatively larger place, and has a West Bengal Tourism hotel. It's a largish hotel, and was fairly well-occupied for the entire duration of our stay there. From this, I can only conclude that Bishnupur is a very popular tourist destination!

The rooms was okayish. We requested the bedlinen to be changed because they didn't look very clean, and the request was promptly catered to. They had "forgotten" to place the toiletries in the room too, and the water bottles, so these had to be asked for too, and were promptly supplied. The restaurant was clean and prompt, the food okay-ish (nothing to write home about, but nothing to complain either. And, the tea was great!), and the service was attentive without being intrusive. Also, they give you forks and knives, rather than this eminently stupid practice that I see these days everywhere of giving forks and spoons and not even having knives when asked.

Are there other stay options at Bishnupur? Well, there were numerous lodges, similar to Kamarpukur and Joyrambati, but I'm not sure if there are any other decent hotels like the WBTDCL property. Probably not? On the way to Kamarpukur, I saw a decent-ish hotel on the state highway. It's called Joypur Forest Banalata Resort. However, it's in the middle of nowhere, and I wouldn't have wanted to stay there at all. But, your mileage may vary

Okay, okay, but where's the "product tour"?

Well, here we go...

Kamarpukur

(the birthplace of Thakur Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa)

After a leisurely breakfast at the hotel, we left for Kamarpukur and reached there by 10:30 AM. I was under the impression that coupons for the bhog can be obtained only till 10:00 AM, but I was mistaken since they were still being distributed when we reached there. I think they have a fixed number of coupons (500, someone said) and if they're not yet exhausted by 10:00 AM, the people there continue to give them out. We had gone on a weekday, a week or two after the Diwali holidays, so there wasn't much rush and I think that's the reason why we were able to get the coupons.

Photography is not allowed there at Thakur's house, but there are good photos on this official site, if you want to get a preview.

The ambience is serene and peaceful, and one would want to do nothing more than sit there and contemplate on life (and beyond). Conveniently, there's an open prayer hall for doing just that, and it also has chairs (so that the elderly need not struggle with getting down on the floor and then getting up).

There's a bookshop on the premises, and also a pallimangal shop. We did some shopping there. All of the Pallimangal products we bought (here and also at Joyrambati) are excellent. They also have an online presence (but not all products are available online). These products are made by the villagers in these two places.

Both the bookshop and the palli-mangal shop close at 11:30 AM (and reopen at 3:30 PM).

Joyrambati

(the birthplace of Sri Ma Sarada Debi)

After bhog, we went to Joyrambati. Photography is not allowed here either but, again, there are good photos on their website, for reference.

The premises close down between 11:30 AM and 3:30 PM for bhog (similar to the system at Kamarpukur), and since it was not yet 3:30 PM, we waited for a while nearby. This waiting place a 2-min walk from the Matri Mandir premises, adjacent to a hospital. It has a covered shed with benches, and enough parking space for about 50 cars. It also has very clean washroom facilities (toilets plus bathing). I didn't see any other public washrooms anywhere else in these two villages, but I guess it's only appropriate that Sri Ma's village will have these facilities because who else but a mother will understand the very basic and essential needs of children.





While we waited for the Matri Mandir to open, we had some icecream, and then took a 3-minute walk to the Singhavahini temple. The day we were there, they'd had a goat sacrifice. Upon enquiring, I learnt that these sacrifices happen regularly on Saturdays by devotees when their wish is fulfilled. While I didn't see any notice board prohibiting photography, I did not click any images out of respect for the goddess, who is worshipped here in the form of a Kalash.

Here, too, there is a bookshop and a palli-mangal shop, but we found them open even though it wasn't 3:30 PM yet. Purchases were made again!

Then, Matri Mandir opened for visitors. A steady stream of people going around the place.

A 5-year old, looking thoughtfully at the small thatched cottage: She lived here?
His grandma: Yes!
5-year old: How? But, how? Does she still live here? She doesn't live there? *points to a more modern cement structure*
Grandma: No, she's passed away.

This conversation reminded me of something an uncle had once said when I asked him whether his guru had passed away or was still living. "You don't say 'passed away', child", he had admonished. "You say, 'laid down their body'."

Sri Ma's home is even more peaceful than Thakur's. People pass on; their influence lingers.

Bishnupur

(the open-air terracotta museum)

We hired a battery rickshaw to take us around the place. They have a fixed rate of Rs. 800/- for half a day (4 hours), when they'll show you the 11-12 temples in and around the village. But we didn't want to be time-bound and hurry through the sites, so an agreement was reached for Rs.200/- per hour (we ended up roaming around for 6 hours).

Here are some pictures from the temple walls.

Scenes from the Mahabharat.



Scenes from a hunt. Deer, bull, and a hunter on horseback killing a tiger who, in turn is killing a ... deer, looks like, no?



What's happening here, exactly? Is he churning butter with that thing? (Because, see, the sword is still in its sheath, hanging by his side, so he's evidently not hunting.)



Riverine state means boats are important! But, doesn't this look remarkably like the band playing on The Titanic?



One can easily spend hours looking at these panels and imagining the stories.

And, here are some long shots of the temples themselves.

Every inch of this temple is covered with small panels showing episodes from the Ramayan, Mahabharat, and daily common life.



Notice the tulsi plant in the foreground in the above picture? Every temple there has them, coz all these temples are Vishnu temples. For example, see the following picture of another temple, with a prominent tulsi-manch in the foreground.



Also, almost all the temples also have a dedicated place to cook bhog (and distribute it among devotees). Of course, these "kitchens" are no longer operational, but, as you can see in the following picture, these cooking places also thoughtfully have wells just a few steps away, to draw water.



Not all temples are Vishnu temples, though. We saw a temple dedicated to the goddess Durga. The temple has a canon, which is still fired every year on Ashtami day during Durga Puja. Folklore has it that Bishnupur was unaffected by the Covid pandemic because of the grace of Mrinmayi who is worshipped in this temple. (Folklore also has it that the canon was first fired by Madan Mohan when he was born on earth to Devaki and Vasudev.)

And, then there's also this:



Locally, it's called the Gumghar or Gumkhana. Legend has it that the Malla kings would throw prisoners inside this building, to be left to starve and die.



There's also a tiny Bishnupur museum, but you can skip it (unless you're a music fan and are interested in Bishnupur's role in the classical music genre).

It was a day well spent, and the next day, it was back to the road.

Summary

This was a good short break from work. Some stats:

• Petrol: ~6000 rupees. I tanked up once in Bhubaneswar, and then again once at Bishnupur.
• Driving time: 12 hours each way. GoogleMaps says 10 hours, but I don't drive above 80 - 90 kph because of a promise I made someone.
• Stay and food: ~9000 rupees.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[haisaikat]

Very informative account of Kamarpukur and Joyrambati visit and you have presented the information very well. Glad you undertook this trip finally. Would have loved to see a picture of the driver with the car.

Your decision to stay at Bishnupur is spot on, but the best place to stay there is Annapurna. Also the best way to explore Bishnupur is on a Toto or walking, and preferably with a local guide to explain things around for as low as 300 rupees.

Banalata resort at Joypur forest which you mentioned of as well is also a good option.

[A_Basu]

Originally Posted by haisaikat

Also the best way to explore Bishnupur is on a Toto or walking, and preferably with a local guide to explain things around for as low as 300 rupees.

Yes, we hired a battery rickshaw, and the driver doubled up as the local guide. He had stories around how a courtesan was left to drown in the pond by the jealous queen, and how, when he was younger, he and two of his friends had climbed the mound near Gumghar to see what's inside (and was beaten black and blue by his uncle when they found out at home). Also, the stories his grandma said about the canons, and about how a temple was built by the king because the goddess appeared in the pond, etc. All very entertaining I was looking for a book or pamphlet that would have these stories, but wasn't able to get any leads therefor.

This person's name is Munna, btw, and he'd also shared his number (98837 02643) in case we went back for a repeat visit. Amiable fellow, and mindful of the needs of the elderly.