Whatever be the antiquity of the Hindu temples, in very early days it could not have been anything more than a simple platform open to the sky, with perhaps an iconographical representation on it pertaining to the deity to which the worshipper paid homage, and to which they offered sacrifices...
The earliest gods and goddesses were the nature deities such as Yakshas and Yakshinis, the earth goddess Prithvi, Nagas and Naginis, fertility spirits and perhaps even a rudimentary form of the great god who was later to become the omnipotent Shiva' (Rustam J Mehta, Masterpieces of Indian Temples, 1974).
The sacredness of the land of Chhattisgarh goes back to the time of Lord Ram, when the region was known Dakshin Koshala, references to which have been traced in the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, and the Puranas. It is believed that the name Dakshin Koshala may have arisen due to the link with Ram's maternal home, Koshala.
Identified with parts of modern Bastar division, Dandakaranya, mentioned in the Ramayaa, is considered to be the place where Ram spent ten out of fourteen years in exile. Seorinarayan in Bilaspur is traditionally associated with Shabari, who offered wild berries to Ram during his visit there. The cave paintings of Kanker, Raigarh and Surguja districts testify to the fact that this region has been inhabited from the earliest times. Over centuries, from 2nd century to 14th century AD, the region was ruled by various dynasties - the Satavahanas, Sarabhapuriyas, Somavanshis, Panduvanshis, Kalachuris, Haihayas, Nalas, Nagavanshis, and Kakatiyas.
Each dynasty has left a legacy of temples, ranging from modest shrines to ornate brick temples with elaborate sculptures. Dedicated to gods and goddesses of the Hindu pantheon, tribal deities and Anga Devs (see p 73), the temples of Chhattisgarh attract devotees, pilgrims and travellers. In fact, Chhattisgarh boasts of three shaktipeeths-Danteshwari Devi Temple at Dantewada, Mahamaya Temple at Ratanpur, and Bamleshwari Devi at Dongargarh.
Leger whence it derived its name, but the forts have never been identified. The more widely accepted explanation is that it was a corruption of Chedisgarh meaning the forts of the local rulers, the Chedis, also known as the Haihayas.
The term Chhattisgarh came into popular usage during the rule of the Marathas in the 17th century and was used for the first time in official documents in 1795. goes the region had 36 forts from The central part of Chhattisgarh lies in the fertile upper basin of the Mahanadi river and its tributaries. The Mahanadi, the Jonk, the Rihand, a tributary of the Ganga, the Indravati, a tributary of the Godavari, and Hasdeo and Sheonath, are the state's main rivers.
Introduction Encompassing an area of 1,35,194 sq km, Chhattisgarh is blessed with abundant natural beauty, with dense forests, cascading waterfalls, gurgling streams, natural caves, wonderful plateaus and vast undulating terrains of the Maikal and Satpura ranges.
Endowed with a unique panorama of flora and fauna, Chhattisgarh has thousands of kilometers of vast virgin biosphere reserves with 44 per cent of the state covered in forests of teak, sal, bija, saja, dhawra, mahua and tendu.
It has two national parks and a biosphere reserve, two tiger reserves, and ten wildlife sanctuaries. Of special mention are the Kanger Valley National Park, Achanakmar Tiger and Biosphere Reserve, Indravati Tiger Reserve, Udanti-Sitanadi Tiger Reserve, Tamorpingla-Semarsot-Badalkhol Elephant Reserve and Guru Ghasidas National Park.
The significant Wildlife Sanctuaries are Barnwapara, Bhoramdeo and Kotmisonar Crocodile Sanctuary. Bhoramdeo, Barnawapara, Sitanadi, and Udanti Wildlife Sanctuaries, which offer the rare opportunity to spot wild buffalo, gaur, tiger, leopard, and a variety of avian species. For centuries, the forests of Chhattisgarh, especially of the Bastar region which is referred as 'melting pot of the races', has been home to a lively and extremely colourful tribal population which constitutes around 31 per cent of the state's population.
The main tribal communities of Chhattisgarh are the Gonds, Kamars, Baigas, Halbas, Bhatras and Korbas. These tribes have given Chhattisgarh a unique identity in terms of its ingenious and distinguished erafts, and a rich heritage with varied cultural traditions.
Naya Raipur Located 17 kms southeast of the capital of Raipur and 5 kms from the Swami Vivekanand Airport, Naya Raipur is envisaged as the new administrative capital. The State Secretariat and the Police headquarters are functioning from here since 2012. Covering an area of about 80 sq km, the new city is situated between NH 53 and NH 63.
One of the 100 proposed smart cities of India under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), the plan for the city approved in 2008 by the government of India and the entire city is slated to be complete by 2031. Delhi-based urban planner Sudeshna Chatterjee is leading the project. On completion, Naya Raipur would be the fourth planned city after Gandhinagar, Bhubaneshwar and Chandigarh. It will serve as an industrial and manufacturing hub with the best educational, cultural, hospitality, and medical facilities.
Raipur and the area around it, once formed a part of the Dakshin Kosala kingdom, though the city of Raipur itself is believed to have been founded by the Kalachuri king Ramchandra in 14th century. It was his son, Brahmadeo Rai, who gave the city its name.
According to archaeologists, the oldest structure in Raipur is the Fort, said to have been constructed by Bhuvaneshwar Singh in 1460 that is however no longer extant. With the decline of the Kalachuris after the death of king Amarsingh Deo, the region was taken over by the Maratha Bhonsle kings. In 1854, the area came under British suzerainty and Raipur was made the headquarters of the Commissary of Chhattisgarh.
The oldest and the most interesting part of town). A 500-year old stone statue of goddess Kali testifies to the antiquity of the Purani Raipur is the Purani Basti (literally, the old Basti. Enshrined in the Kali Temple, a modern structure near All India Radio office, it is believed that the rajgurus (spiritual advisors) of the royal family of Bastar brought the statue here around 200 years ago.
Dudhadhari Math and Temple, dedicated to Lord Ram, is located near Burha Talab. Built in 1610, it is believed to be the oldest temple of Raipur. The interior walls of the temple are painted in brilliant colours with scenes from the Ramayana. The name of the temple supposedly comes from a sage named Balabhadra Das who lived in the temple and survived only on milk (doodh-ahari, in Hindi).
Besides Mahamaya Temple, the Purani Basti area also has Sheetala Devi and Kankali Talab Temple. Devotees come here in large numbers during Navratri. About kilometre away is Jaitu Sau Math, one of the best known temples in Raipur, built in 1877, in the memory of the great freedom fighter, Jaitu Sau. Mahant Laxminarayan Das, noted scholar and nationalist, made the Math his base in Raipur, and both Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru stayed here during their visits to Raipur. It is said that craftsmen and artisans from Jaipur took around seven years to complete the temple.
Raipur Ramakrishna Mission and Vivekananda Ashram have a branch in Raipur that was established in 1957 due to the efforts of Swami Atmananda. Interestingly, Swamiji spent a few years of his childhood in Raipur and was deeply touched by the beauty and serenity of the surrounding landscape, The house he lived in has been converted into a primary school, Originally established in 1860, and situated in the residential Gayatri Nagar area, the popular Jagannath Temple has been completely renovated.
Recently, a beautiful structure has been constructed over the smaller original temple. The temple attracts hundreds of devotees each day, and its main festival is the annual Rath Yatra. Located 5 kms from the centre of Raipur, Mahadev Ghat is on the banks of the river Kharun. Next to it is Hatkeshwar Mahadev Temple, built in 1402.
In recent times, many other temples have been built around it. One can take can hire one of the numerous boats on the steps of the giut and sail on the river. Scholars are of the opinion that the first Kalachuri settlement of Raipur was built around Mahadev Ghat.
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