Ras Mancha - A Stage for Dances

#ashokasays Did you know 272:

Art had and hasbeen given major importance across ages in this country and our kings used to do it in style. Ras Mancha is one such example.

Ras Mancha (meaning a stage for dances) is a less known but a beautiful historical building located in Bishnupur, in West Bengal. Established in 1600 AD by the King Bir Hambhir 49th ruler of Malla Dynasty, the Rasmancha was used to display all the local idols in public during the Ras Festival. During this festival, all deities from nearby temples were brought here. The monument was also used to stage dances every evening to celebrate scenes from the Krishna Leela. The popular festival has been shifted to grounds in 1932 near a Durga temple.

What is one of the special things about this building is that, Rasmancha is the oldest brick temple and the only temple of its kind in the whole country. Rasmancha is no more a temple today, it has now been converted into a protected monument by the Archaeological Survey of India.

But the architecture of this building is splendid and that too when it is done using brick, its more interesting. The red brick structure of the building is in the form of a pyramid summit which is built upon a roomy platform. The laterite plinth and foundation of the structure is 1.5 meters high with each side measuring 24.5 meters and rising to a height of 11 meters.The interesting thing about the temple is that it has only a single chamber, the sanctum sanctorum, with an elongated tower, surrounded by hut shaped turrets.The masterpiece has 108 doorways and houses some large ancient cannons which date back to the Malla dynasty.

INCREDIBLE BHARATHA