Culture of Bankura district refers to the culture of Bankura district (as it existed in 2011) in the Indian state of West Bengal.
Background
As the Bankura district and adjoining areas, forming a part of ancient Rarh, were inhabited from pre-historic times by Austroloid and Dravidian tribes who were subsequently assimilated with the people and culture of the Indo-Europeans or Aryans, who prevailed in northern India, cultural traces of all these groups are visible in Bankura district to the present day.
Initially, there were two primary groups, the Nishadas (who were Proto-Australoid tribes) and Dasa-dasyus (related to Dravidians). Amongst the subgroups were Bagdi, Bauri, Jele, Hari, Dom, and others. Around three-fourths of the Santals living in West Bengal, live in the Rarh region. Many of these peoples were initially martial races and were great heroes at some point of history. It is not that they form a majority in the district or region but they are substantial in numbers and probably were comparatively more numerous as a proportion of the total population in earlier days. Over the ages these people have exerted tremendous influence in shaping the folk culture of the region. The area was widely influenced by Jainism, Buddhism and Shaivite thinking prior to the conversion of Bir Hambir to Vaishnavism. There were traces of Vaishnavism even in earlier days but since Bir Hambir's conversion it became the dominant influence in the region. Thus various historical factors have shaped the culture of Bankura district.
Temples
Bankura district is a land of temples. There are more historical temples in Bishnupur than in any other place in West Bengal. There are several aspects of temple art, architecture and construction that need to be considered.
Almost all temples in Bishnupur town are Vaishnavite, but many of those scattered in different areas of the district spread outside the town are Shaivite, with traces of Jainism and Buddhism. While some of the older temples were built of laterite the area has numerous brick built temples, some with exquisite terracotta carvings. Terracotta carvings are also found in some temples outside the district, as for example at Jaydev Kenduli or Antpur, but the art of terracotta carvings seems to have flourished with the rise of the Rajas of Bishnupur and virtually died out with the fading of their supremacy. Some of the earlier temples built by the Bardhaman Raj have terracotta carvings, possibly by artisans from Bankura district, but by the time Rani Rashmoni decided to construct the Dakshineswar Kali Temple, in the mid nineteenth century, the art of terracotta carvings had obviously faded out.
While Bankura district has some fine examples of rekha deul temples built in what is popularly known as the Kalinga architecture of Orissa, as for example at Bahulara, but it is the Bengal style of architecture that attracts attention in the district. The Shyamrai temple built by Raghunath Singh in 1643 is perhaps the oldest pancharatna temple in Bengal. With curved roofs in thatched style, it has one deul in the centre and one in each corner. The Jor Bangla temple was built in 1655 also by Raghunath Singh. It is a fine example of the Bengal style of temple architecture. Gods and goddesses were thought of as being close to human beings and as such placed in temples that resembled human habitation, the hut with thatched roof.
Four distinct types of temples may be distinguished in Bishnupur. The first has a single square on a curved roof and is represented by Malleswar temple. The second has a single tower on a curved roof. The best examples of this are Madan Mohan temple in brick and in laterite Lalji and Radha Shyam temples. The pancharatna temple has five towers on a curved roof. The best examples are Shyam Rai temple in brick and Madan Gopal temple in laterite. The fourth type is the Jor Bangla type with two buildings shaped like a typical Bengal hut joined together with a small tower on top. It is the most interesting one from the architectural point of view. The Shyam Rai temple has the finest specimens of carved tiles.
It needs to be mentioned that the powerful Rajas of Bishnupur had a non-descript single storied palace, not even comparable to the Rajbaris of many a somewhat ordinary zamindar in Bengal. Even the fort at Bishnupur seems to have been constructed for the protection of temples.