Saturday November 22, 2025
Today is our 34th anniversary, 39
years together. Happy Anniversary, my love!
We got checked out and the driver met
us at 4:45 to catch a 6:30 train. The hotel held our luggage and gave us breakfast
boxes to eat on the train. We will return tomorrow night for 3 more nights
here.
Maitreyi met us at the train station
for the 3-hour ride to Bishnupur. It was a continuous flow of people selling
things in the aisle. Sounds of “chai-chai coffee-coffee and then “coffee-coffee-chai-chai”
and ones selling snack mixes made and shaken in a metal can right in the aisle.
Also selling toys, newspapers and even a guy selling “new hardcover books”. One
lady asked for nail clippers and a guy took some out of his bag and she bought
one. Any time we have been on trains in India we have been told not to eat or
drink anything on there. One guide once told us, “I don’t even eat on the train”.
Not that the food or drink is bad per se, but our stomachs just aren’t used to
the bacteria like the locals are. Hence, this whole 2-month trip has been
bottled water only including when brushing teeth.
We had seats in “first class” and the
seats were old and dirty. So far, we have never been on a train in India where
you could see out of the windows. (scratched and dirty)
We got in around 9:30 and Maitreyi
seemed lost. She asked several people how to get out of the station. She said
normally they drive and that was the first time she took the train since no one
wanted to get up at that hour to make the train. I said we weren’t given a
choice.
We set out to explore the terracotta
and stone temples of Bishnupur. We continued to use 2 cars for the ease of
getting around.
Rasmancha and Dolmancha are usually
quite small structures with Dolmanchas being square or rectangular in shape and
Rasmanchas being octagonal or hexagonal, raised up on a platform and crowned
with a pinnacle. Their main purpose is to allow an idol, usually Lord Krishna,
to be viewed from all sides on certain festival days. Our
first stop was to see the Rasmancha Temple built by the ruler Bir Hambir, possibly
at the end of the 16th century. The temple has 108 columns and a pyramidal
roof.
Next, we went to Shyamrai Temple where
the Hindu God Krishna is worshiped in the form of Shyam; along with Shyam, the
murti of Radhika is also worshipped.
Radhashyam Temple Radha Shyam Temple,
also known as Rādhāśyāma Mandir, is a Krishna temple in Bishnupur town of
Medinipur division in the Indian state of West Bengal. In this temple, the
Hindu god Krishna is worshiped in the form of Shyam; along with Shyam, the
murti of Radha is also worshipped.
Jore Bangla Temple Keshto Ray Temple,
also known as Jor-Bangla Temple, is a Krishna temple at Bishnupur city of
Medinipur Division. In the past, the Hindu god Krishna was worshiped as Keshto
Ray in this temple. According to the Inscriptional plaque, the temple was
founded by 51st King of Mallabhum kingdom Raghunath Singha in 1655.
We then made a quick stop at the Small Gate of Bishnupur Fort, one of two surviving gateways built of laterite stone and brick, featuring multi-cusped (pointed) arches. The fort is only ruins and not safe for visitors. It was Malla kingdom's palace complex. We also made a stop at a small weaving factory and of course were taken to their store. Their items were pretty but nothing struck our fancy.
We had 4 other temples on the list to visit
but Maitreyi didn’t move quickly and stayed at each place way longer than
necessary. Everything is close together and within walking distance or a short
drive away, so we should have been able to see more. We did take some time for
a bit of shopping at the markets set up between the sites. I found a couple of
nice pairs of earrings.
We then went to lunch, and the food
was just OK. We wanted naan, but they didn’t serve any. (we found out in that
part of India it isn’t often served) They did have some tortilla type bread, so
we got that with our chicken and rice. She was quite adamant that we shouldn’t
eat it with the chicken and rice since there was no sauce, but we ordered it
anyway. Oddly, she told us lunch was included in the tour, but I was pretty
sure that lunches were on us.
We then had a 4-hour drive to Santiniketan,
where we spent the night. It was an interesting drive dodging cows, goats, and
herds of sheep going down the road, or a single cow or two sauntering across
the road along with the usual crazy traffic of trucks, people, tuk tuks, cars
and motorcycles.
I asked the guide about them, and she said they were a sect of Baul Musicians known for their music and unconventional lifestyle. Generally, a group of older men with long beards and orange turbans, often seen during music festivals. Their attire is part of their traditional identity as wandering musicians and spiritual seekers.
We got in too late to visit the market, so we pushed that until the next day and got checked into the Cristallo Resort. The word Resort is used quite loosely. It was cute outside, but the rooms were spartan and just plain “icky”. It was another shower, sink and toilet in one big space where the whole room gets wet. Towels were thin and worn and the mattress was thin and hard.
We went to the restaurant for dinner
which was a comedy of errors. The waiter spoke no English and 3 of us tried to
order fish and chips but were told that wouldn’t be available until 7:00 and it
only was 5:30. We were told that fish fingers and fries were available and we
ordered 2 orders but only 1 order was served. That was after the waiter brought
in the front desk to sort out 2 checks and what we wanted. 3 started on the 1
order of fish fingers that came and eventually the other one arrived. I ordered
chicken gravy noodles which were available.
Then we ordered ice cream and were
told they don’t have any. Cathy showed him the dessert menu and asked what they
did have. He answered that they had no desserts.
We left and Greg and I went in search
of dessert. We ended up at a nice looking place we had seen earlier when we
went for a walk around the area. They were having a private function outside
(looked like a wedding) and OMG, we should have stayed here, as it was lovely
and they spoke English and they had real menus (not the scan which without
decent internet was problematic) and the service was great.
We ordered 2 brownies with ice cream,
and it was warm and delicious. Happy anniversary to us!
We looked up the rates, and they were
double the cost of where we were staying. However, $60 a night instead of $30
for a normal looking room and if we had been given a choice, we would have
chosen that one.
We went back to our hotel, and it got very
loud later with drums, bands, and fireworks. Pretty much all night long. I’m sure the celebration was down the street,
but it sounded like they were in our bathroom. I was close to moving from our
crappy room to the other hotel if they had rooms open. We finally got to sleep.
Tomorrow, we will visit Santiniketan
before returning to Kolkata on the train.
Bishnupar
& Santiniketan, India https://photos.app.goo.gl/4r6RGvoD5xMG9Wh86
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