Mallabhum kingdom

Template:Infobox country Mallabhum kingdom (also known as Mallabhoom, Template:Lang-bn or Bishnupur kingdom) was the kingdom ruled by the Malla kings of Bishnupur, primarily in the present Bankura district in Indian state of West Bengal.

History

Bishnupur, Bankura terracotta temples

Jor Temple Jor Temple Shyam Ray Temple Shyam Ray Temple Radhamadhab Temple Radhamadhab Temple

Kalachand Temple Kalachand Temple Keshta Roy Temple Keshta Roy Temple Panchchura Temple Panchchura Temple

Territory of the Mallabhum

It is told that Mallabhum is the territory, which included Bankura, a part of Burdwan, Birbhum, Santhal Parganas, Midnapur and also a part of Purulia. The Malla Rajas ruled over the vast territory in the south-western part of present West Bengal and a part of southeastern Jharkhand.Template:Sfn

Extent

Template:Main The area around Bishnupur and Bankura was called Mallabhum. The core area would cover present day Bankura police station area (excluding Chhatna), Onda, Bishnupur, Kotulpur and Indas. In olden days the term was used for a much larger area, which probably was the furthest extent of the Bishnupur kingdom. In the north it stretched from Damin-i-koh in Santhal Parganas to Midnapore in the south. It included the eastern part of Bardhaman and included parts of Chota Nagpur in the west.

According to O'Malley, the Rajas of Bishnupur were also known as Malla kings. Malla is a Sanskrit word meaning wrestler but there could be some links with the Mal tribes of the area, who had intimate connection with the Bagdis.

From around 7th century CE till around the advent of British rule, for around a millennium, history of Bankura district is identical with the rise and fall of the Hindu Rajas of Bishnupur. The legends of Bipodtarini Devi are associated with Malla Kings of Bishnupur.

Administration

Taxation of Mallabhum

According to Bhattacharjee, Tarun Dev (1982) during Malla period, the society was centred round the village. The tax collectors were called as Gumasta and their assistants as Aat Pahari or Paik The Mukhiya or Mandal was the title of headman, who was regarded as the guardian of the village. Malla kings had several service groups. Due to scarcity of money, the Malla kings used to present land instead of salary to all these service groups. This type of land is again of two types – namely the Panchaki jamin or land with a little tax and another one is the Bepanchaki jamin or land without any tax. Again the lands were named as per the service groups name as Senapati mahal for the head of the soldier, land given to the sentry was Mahalbera Mahal, and land given to the bodyguard was Chharidar Mahal.Template:Sfn

Malla calendar

Malla's started their own calendar that is Malla era (Mallabda). It is told that Malla era started from Indra Dwadasi day in the year 102 Bengali calendar of the month Bhadro (August- September).Template:Sfn

Sl. No.	Name of the kingTemplate:Sfn	Gregorian calendar	Bengali calendar	Malla calendar	Reign (year)
1	Adi Malla	694	102	1	16
2	Jay Malla	710	117	16	10
3	Benu Malla	720	127	26	13
4	Kinu Malla	733	140	39	9
5	Indra Malla	742	149	48	15
6	Kanu Malla	757	164	63	7
7	Dha (Jhau) Malla	764	171	70	11
8	Shur Malla	775	182	81	20
9	Kanak Malla	795	202	101	12
10	Kandarpa Malla	807	214	113	21
11	Sanatan Malla	828	235	134	13
12	Kharga Malla	841	248	147	21
13	Durjan (Durjay) Malla	862	269	168	44
14	Yadav Malla	906	313	212	13
15	Jagannath Malla	919	326	225	12
16	Birat Malla	931	338	237	15
17	Mahadev Malla	946	353	252	31
18	Durgadas Malla	977	384	283	17
19	Jagat Malla	994	401	300	13
20	Ananta Malla	1007	414	313	8
21	Rup Malla	1015	422	321	14
22	Sundar Malla	1029	436	335	24
23	Kumud Malla	1053	460	359	21
24	Krishna Malla	1074	481	380	10
25	Rup II (Jhap) Malla	1084	491	390	13
26	Prakash Malla	1097	504	403	5
27	Pratap Malla	1102	509	408	11
28	Sindur Malla	1113	520	419	16
29	Sukhomoy(Shuk) Malla	1129	536	435	13
30	Banamali Malla	1142	549	448	14
31	Yadu/Jadu Malla	1156	563	462	11
32	Jiban Malla	1167	574	473	13
33	Ram Malla	1185	592	491	24
34	Gobinda Malla	1209	616	515	31
35	Bhim Malla	1240	647	546	23
36	Katar(Khattar) Malla	1263	670	569	32
37	Prithwi Malla	1295	702	601	24
38	Tapa Malla	1319	726	625	15
39	Dinabandhu Malla	1334	741	640	11
40	Kinu/Kanu II Malla	1345	752	651	13
41	Shur Malla II	1358	765	664	12
42	Shiv Singh Malla	1370	777	676	37
43	Madan Malla	1407	814	713	13
44	Durjan II (Durjay) Malla	1420	827	726	17
45	Uday Malla	1437	844	743	23
46	Chandra Malla	1460	867	766	41
47	Bir Malla	1501	908	807	53
48	Dhari Malla	1554	961	860	11
49	Hambir Malla Dev (Bir Hambir)	1565	972	871	55
50	Dhari Hambir Malla Dev	1620	1027	926	6
51	Raghunath Singha Dev	1626	1033	932	30
52	Bir Singha Dev	1656	1063	962	26
53	Durjan Singha Dev	1682	1089	988	20
54	Raghunath Singha Dev II	1702	1109	1008	10
55	Gopal Singha Dev	1712	1119	1018	36
56	Chaitanya Singha Dev	1748	1155	1054	53
57	Madhav Singha Dev	1801	1208	1107	8
58	Gopal Singha Dev II	1809	1216	1115	67
59	Ramkrishna Singha Dev	1876	1283	1182	9
	Dwhaja Moni Devi	1885	1292	1191	4
60	Nilmoni Singha Dev	1889	1296	1195	14
	Churamoni Devi (Regency)	1903	1310	1209	14
61	Kalipada Singha Thakur	1930–1983	1337 – 1390	1236–1289	53

Mallabhum temples

Template:See also According to Dr. Bloch, Superintendent of the Archaeological Survey of India, Eastern Circle, the twelve date temples range in chronological order as follows:

Date in Malla year	Date C.E.	Name of temple	By Whom built
928	1622	Malleswar	Bir Singha, son of Raghunath Singha
949	1643	Syam Rai	Raghunath Singha
961	1655	Jor Bangla	Raghunath Singha
962	1656	Kala Chand	Raghunath Singha
964	1658	Lalji	Bir Singha
971	1665	Madan Gopal	Siromani, wife of Bir Singha
971	1665	Murali Mohan	Churamoni /Siromoni Devi, wife of Bir Singha
1000	1694	Madan Mohan	Durjan Singha
1032	1726	Jor Mandir	Gopal Singha
1035	1729	Radha Gobind	Krishna Singha, son of Gopal Singha
1043	1737	Radha Madhab	Churamoni
1064 (Saka 1680)	1758	Radha Syam	Chaitanya Singha

Notable

Bishnupur is famous for its terracotta craft, Baluchari Sari and Mallabhum Sari made of Tassar silk and was for almost a thousand years the capital of the Malla kings of Mallabhum.

Reservoir

Bir Singha Dev also had the seven big lakes or tanks, called Lalbandh, Krishnabandh, Gantatbandh, Jamunabandh, Kalindibandh, Shyambandh, and pokabandh excavated, and erected.

Gallery

• Rasmancha (1600 CE)
  Rasmancha (1600 CE)
• Rasmancha (1600 CE)
  Rasmancha (1600 CE)
• Jor Mandir (1726 CE)
  Jor Mandir (1726 CE)
• Radhamadhab Temple (1737 CE)
  Radhamadhab Temple (1737 CE)
• Kalachand Temple (1656 CE)
  Kalachand Temple (1656 CE)
• Jor-Bangla Temple or Keshta Roy Temple (1655 CE)
  Jor-Bangla Temple or Keshta Roy Temple (1655 CE)
• Jor Mandir complex (1726 CE)
  Jor Mandir complex (1726 CE)
• Madan Mohan Temple (1694 CE)
  Madan Mohan Temple (1694 CE)
• Radha-Gobinda Temple (1729 CE)
  Radha-Gobinda Temple (1729 CE)
• Shyam Ray Temple (1643 CE)
  Shyam Ray Temple (1643 CE)
• Bishnpur fort gate
  Bishnpur fort gate
• Panchchura temple
  Panchchura temple
• Stone chariot of Bishnupur
  Stone chariot of Bishnupur
• Nandalal Temple
  Nandalal Temple
• Rashmancha (gate)
  Rashmancha (gate)
• Jor Bangla Temple (arches)
  Jor Bangla Temple (arches)
• Jor Bangla temple (Terracotta work)
  Jor Bangla temple (Terracotta work)
• Jor Bangla Temple (Ramayana motifs)
  Jor Bangla Temple (Ramayana motifs)
• Shyamrai Temple (Terracotta work)
  Shyamrai Temple (Terracotta work)
• Shyamrai Temple (RasChakra)
  Shyamrai Temple (RasChakra)

Sources

• Heritage Tourism: An Anthropological Journey to Bishnupur. A Mittal Publication(2009).