Raghunath Malla Dev, also known as Raghunath Singha Dev, was the fifty-first king of the

Mallabhum Mallabhum (The Country originally known as Mallabhoom or Mallabani bn, মল্লভূম or Bishnupur kingdom ) was the kingdom ruled by the Malla kings of Bishnupur, primarily in the present Bankura district in Indian state of West Beng ...

(now in the Indian state of

West Bengal West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fourt ...

). He ruled from 1626 to 1656 CE.Malabhum, Bishnupur-Chandra, Manoranjan; 2004; Kolkata. Deys Publishing

Personal life

Because Kalaram, son of Dhari Hambir Malla Dev, was unfit to become a king due to his physical inability, his mother, who was Dhari Hambir's wife, enthroned her husband's young brother Raghunath Malla Dev, who later got the title of Singha. During his regime a very friendly relationship with the

Mughals The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...

meant that Bishnupur operated as a free and separate state. Public works that were completed during his reign include five sayars (large size ponds) and

temples A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

such as

Jor Bangla The architecture of Bengal, which comprises the modern country of Bangladesh and the Indian states of West Bengal, Tripura and Assam's Barak Valley, has a long and rich history, blending indigenous elements from the Indian subcontinent, with influ ...

, Shyam Rai, Kalachand and stone Chariot were built.

Singha title

The king's family got the title of Singha as an honour due to the strength of Raghunath.

Mallabhum temples

Jor-Bangla temple

Bishnupur

Jor-Bangla The architecture of Bengal, which comprises the modern country of Bangladesh and the Indian states of West Bengal, Tripura and Assam's Barak Valley, has a long and rich history, blending indigenous elements from the Indian subcontinent, with influ ...

temple, built 1655 by King Raghunath Singha Dev. It is richly ornamented with

terracotta Terracotta, terra cotta, or terra-cotta (; ; ), in its material sense as an earthenware substrate, is a clay-based ceramic glaze, unglazed or glazed ceramic where the pottery firing, fired body is porous. In applied art, craft, construction, a ...

carvings. The roof has the classic chala style of Bengal architecture.

Pancha ratna temple

The Pancha Ratna temple (five towers) was built by King Raghunath Singha in 1643. It stands on a low square plinth and consists of an ambulatory pathway with a porch opened by three arches on the four sides of the temple. The central

sikhara ''Shikhara'' ( IAST: '), a Sanskrit word translating literally to "mountain peak", refers to the rising tower in the Hindu temple architecture of North India, and also often used in Jain temples. A ''shikhara'' over the ''garbhagriha'' chambe ...

is octagonal, while the other four are square. The walls are richly decorated with terracotta carvings featuring aspects of Lord Krishna’s life.

Malleshwar temple

This is another temple of laterite stone, built by Raghunath Singha Dev in 1622. It is a deul type of temple and the earliest temple of Lord Siva at Bishnupur. It is square in plan, its height is 10.7 m, and each side is 6.9 m. Its original sikhara was ekratna and have rekh deul style. An octagonal tower later replaced it. This monument is declared to be of national importance under the ancient monuments and archaeological sites and remains act 1958.

Shyam Rai temple

ShyamRai Mandir Bishnupur WB Description

Built in 1643 by king Raghunath, Shyam Rai temple has the most intricate sculptural details amongst all the Bishnupuur temples. Shyam Rai Temple is an example of the Pancha Ratna (meaning five gems) architecture. The gems in this temple are the four small towers and one main tower that build the Temple. The architecture of this Temple is unique in its own way and is one of the highest prioritized monuments of the

Archaeological Survey of India The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexande ...

(ASI).

Kalachand temple

The Kalachand temple built in 1656 by King Raghunath Singha in ekratna style (one tower) with

laterite Laterite is both a soil and a rock type rich in iron and aluminium and is commonly considered to have formed in hot and wet tropical areas. Nearly all laterites are of rusty-red coloration, because of high iron oxide content. They develop by ...

stone.

Terracotta art in Bishnupur

Image:Arches on Shyamrai Temple Bishnupur.JPG, Image:Terracotta work on Shyamrai Temple Bishnupur.JPG, Image:Pillar on Shyamrai Temple Bishnupur.JPG, Image:Arched door on Shyamrai Temple Bishnupur.JPG, Image:Terracotta work on Shyamrai Temple Bishnupur 5.JPG, Image:Terracotta work on Shyamrai Temple Bishnupur 4.JPG, Image:Terracotta work on Shyamrai Temple Bishnupur 6.JPG, Image:Inscription on Shyamrai Temple Bishnupur.JPG,

References

Sources

* {{Mallabhum Malla rulers Kings of Mallabhum 17th-century Indian monarchs Mallabhum temples