Bishnupur (/bɪʃnʊˌpʊər/; Bengali: [biʃnupur]; alternatively spelled as Vishnupur) is a city and a municipality in Bankura district, West Bengal, India.

In 1997 the temples of Bishnupur were placed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site's Tentative list.

[3][4] Following a long period of obscurity, where the land oscillated between being a minor independent principality and a vassal state.

The Malla rulers were Vaishnavites and built the famous terracotta temples during the 17th and 18th centuries at this place.

[5] For almost a thousand years it was the capital of the Malla kings of Mallabhum, of which Bankura was a part, till their power waned during the times when the Mughal Empire weakened under the last monarchs of the dynasty.

The Bishnupur Mela is held every year around the last week of December, in Raj Darbar.

It was an innovative idea to keep Bishnupur Terracotta Temples at the backdrop of the main stage.

The temples are covered with terracotta tiles depicting scenes from the epic Mahabharata.

A school of music, called the Bishnupur Gharana, was established here in 1370 A.D and flourished under the patronage of the Malla kings.

Apart from the temples, terracotta pottery, artefacts and even jewelry made in this very traditional material are famous.

But nowadays skilled artists and potters are not present and also they make different products like faces, men, wall hangings and also the mini-sized Dal Madal Kaman (cannon).

The potters here derive their inspiration from the glorious history of kings, soldiers, and wars.

The Dashavatar Tash are a kind of playing cards that depict the ten avatars of the Hindu god Vishnu.

They are traditionally round and are hand-painted on a backing made of layers of fabric glued together.

The Bankura or Panchmura horse gained popularity among art lovers since it was depicted in paintings by M. F.

The Rajbari Durga Puja (also popular as Mrinmoyee Maa er pujo) was started on 994 AD, which makes it the oldest Durga Puja in the entire Bengal region including today's Bangladesh, Odisha and Tripura.