Author:

Dr.Amrita Karmakar

Independent Reasearcher
Ph.D in History
Jadavpur University
Kolkata,West Bengal,India

Email: amritakarmakar200@gmail.com

Abstract: The Malla dynasty of Bishnupur in Bengal, which arose to prominence from the 16th century, incarnated the intricate predicament of political sovereignty and cultural support in medieval India. Evolving amidst a constellation of fragmented chiefdoms, the Mallas consolidated territorial authority while strategically deploying Vaishnavism as a potent instrument of dynastic legitimization, thus inscribing religious ideology into the very edifice of governance. Their phenomenal patronization of the Vaishnava temples as well as the devotional practices epitomizes the convergence of aesthetic inventiveness. This study analyzes the creation, amalgamation and development of the Malla polity, emphasizing the dialectical interdependence of cultural investment and administrative spirit. Moreover, it explains the enduring implications of this synthesis, representing the ways by which Bishnupur’s sacred and artistic efflorescence assisted broader procedures of cultural integration throughout Bengal. This study underlined the nexus of sovereign power along with the role of ritual economy and artistic patronage. Eventually, the article will demonstrate how the Malla epoch stands as an exemplary witness to the subtle interlinking of consecration and thus presented critical insights into the contrivances through which regional polities adorned themselves into tenacious historical and cultural narratives.

Key Words:Bishnupur, Dwarakeswar, Mallabhum, Legitimization, Temples, Vaishnavism etc.