Bishnupur Terracotta Temple with Baluchari Silk and Pottery Tour from Kolkata

Famous for its terracotta architecture, Bishnupur goes back all the way to 1600s to the times of the Gupta Dynasty. A day guided tour to take you back in the history and to add to it, a visit to Balichari to visit the art of silk weaving.

Highlights

• Explore the 17th-century terracotta temples of Bishnupur and understand their history.
• Meet the Baluchari silk weavers who will demonstrate the fine art of silk weaving.
• Visit the last remaining Terracotta potters Panchmura.
• Company of a local and knowledgeable guide.

Detailed Overview

Bishnupur is a town in West Bengal and is famous for its terracotta architecture and has ones dating back 1600s. One can witness fine architectural beauties during a visit to Bishnupur. Bishnupur comes under the Bankura district of West Bengal. Bishnupur was once ruled under the Gupta Dynasty by local kings who paid tribute to Samudra Gupta. Bishnupur's population is constituted of Bengalis and the whole town is maintained to keep its glory intact.

Itinerary

• Your tour will begin at around 6:30 AM from your Kolkata residence/hotel where you will be meeting your guide/host for the day.
• Post which you will be driven to Bishnupur on a well-maintained car.
• You will arrive in the beautiful town of Bishnupur at around 10:00 AM, post which your day's tour will begin.
• You will be visiting most of the famous temples in the town including the Rasmancha first temple built by Bir Hambir. It is a quaint pyramidal structure marked by huge, stepped masonry and a composite Chala type roof,  designed as a stage.
• Our guide will tell you the story of how a tyrannical Malla King converted to Gaudiya Vaishnavism and how that provided the impetus for terracotta art to flourish in the 16th and 17th-century in Bishnupur.
• Most of the temples in the town are dedicated to Lord Krishna.
• After you have explored the temples you will be heading straight to the weavers of the Baluchari silk saris. 
• You will get to experience how the Saris are created on draw looms. It will be fascinating to see the intricate art of weaving ‘Ramayana’ scenes woven all over the saree border.
• Post lunch at around 4:15 pm you will be going to Panchmura, the village of the famed potters. 
• It will be fascinating to witness the transformation of a lump of clay baked in sun and burnt in mud kilns with dry eucalyptus leaves to magnificent looking figurines.
• Only 70 families continue to ply this trade. You will meet and interact with a few of these master terracotta potters
• Your tour ends with a journey back to Kolkata and you will be dropped back at your hotel/residence at around 8:30 PM.