Youtube Link: https://youtu.be/oTYnHVpmAto
Mahadev Temple, Bastar
Location: “Shiv
Temple Bastar, 6W6M+W35, Bastar, Chhattisgarh 494223”
References:
https://puratattva.in/bastar-mahadev-temple/
https://bastariya.com/mahadev-temple-jagdalpur-bastar/
https://unexploredbastar.com/archeological-heritage-temple-of-bastar/
Bastar is a town in the
Bastar district of Chhattisgarh around. It has now been reduced to a small
village, but it was once the capital of the Bastar state. Legends associate the
name Bastar with Banstari (bamboo), the founder of the place and spent most of
his time in bamboo groves.1 Bastar was a princely state during the
British. The royal family traces its descent from the Pandu king
Birabhadra of Delhi. He was granted an arrow by the goddess Dilleshwari as his
weapon of war. The king subsequently moved to Mathura and got a trishula
from the goddess BHuwaneshwari there. With their family goddess, the family
moved on to Jeypore during the Madras presidency and settled in Warangal. They
installed their family goddess at Warangal as Manikya Devi. The goddess Manikya
Devi is known as goddess Danteswari when the family moved to Bastar. The
goddess also granted them a sword.2 King Annamaraja, a
brother of the Kakatiya king Prataparudra II, established the rule at
Bastar in 1324 CE.
The Mahadev Temple is an
ancient Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located in the town of Jagdalpur
in the Bastar district. It is 27 KMs from Jagdalpur According to legend, the temple was built
during the 12th century AD by the Nagavanshi dynasty rulers. The temple’s
architecture reflects the Nagara and Dravidian styles, and the temple’s
construction materials include stone and mortar. The temple’s intricate
carvings and sculptures depict scenes from Hindu mythology, and the temple’s
architecture is believed to have inspired many other temples in the region.
The temple is built next
to the Bhansagar tank, is built over a jagati and faces east. It has a square
Garbagriha, square mantapa, and a mukha mantapa which currently is not
existent. The temple is
constructed using stone and features intricate carvings and sculptures
depicting scenes from Hindu mythology. The architecture of the temple is
unique, combining elements of both the Nagara and Dravidian styles, which is a
characteristic feature of temples in the Bastar region.
The vertical elevation of
the temple follows the triratha pattern
and consists of an adhisthana,
a jangha, and
a shikhara. The adhishthana is composed of
multiple mouldings. Niches are provided over the rathas; the bhadra has the large niches,
while the anuratha and karna have smaller niches. The
pyramidal shikhara has
three stories; the topmost story has not survived. Based upon the images on
the latala-bimba of
the mandapa and garbhagrha doorways and dvarapalas, scholars have suggested
that the temple was either dedicated to a goddess or Vishnu.6 Jha ascribes the temple to the 11th century CE.
The mantapa is approached through
a flight of steps. Its doorway is composed of three shakhas (bands). An image of
Gaja-Lakshmi is present over lalata-bimba. The presence of Gaja-Lakshmi
was the family crest of the Panduvamsis of Dakshina Kosala and accordingly few
historians dates the temple to the 7th-8th century CE. But without having any
dynastic affiliations and common to many other temples, there is hardly any
relevance of the claim. The innermost shakha is
decorated with flowers. The middle shakha has
dhatura flower motifs. The outermost shakha has
various decorative motifs, including animals, kirtimukhas, flowers, etc. At the base are
four-armed dvarapalas with
attendants.
An image of Ganesha is
present over the lalata-bimba.
A Shaiva dvarapala is
present on the bottom of the left door jamb. The corresponding space on the
right door jamb has an image of Hanuman, a later addition. A shiva linga is
installed inside the garbhagrha.
One of the most prominent
features of the Mahadev Temple is its 8 feet high shivalinga, which is believed
to be one of the largest in the region. The shivalinga is made of black stone
and is adorned with a beautiful silver crown.
A statue of Chamunda is
placed in the left corner of the mandapa.
She has eight arms. The uppermost two arms are carrying a snake by its head and
tail. She holds a trishula, damaru, and khadga in her right arm. She
has a bowl and khatvanga in her remaining left arm. One of her left arms is
near her mouth, and her fingers are inside the mouth. She wears a garland made
of human skulls and stands over a preta.
Another statue of a goddess is placed in the right corner. She is standing over
a human body. Lala Jagdalpuri identifies the goddess as Kali and opines it has
a tantric influence.
How to reach
One can plan the journey while keeping Jagdalpur as the base. Jagdalpur
is the district headquarter of Bastar and well connected to nearby cities like
Raipur, Vishakhapatnam and Hyderabad. At Jagdalpur plan for a tour using some
hired taxi as I don’t think any local commute to these places are available.
From Air: Jagdalpur Airport is soon commencing its operations. It will be
connected with Hyderabad and Raipur initially. Raipur and Vishakhapatanam both
are well connected with all the major cities. Both are around 300KMs from
Jagdalpur.
From Train: Jagdalpur is well connected with Vishakhapatnam, Bhubaneswar and
Kolkata
From Bus: Jagdalpur is very well connected with Raipur, Vishakhapatnam,
Nagpur and Hyderabad
Anyone can come to Jagdalpur through road
routes as we did from Titlagarh
Famous festivals
The Mahadev Temple is an
essential center of religious and cultural significance in Jagdalpur and the
entire Bastar region. It is a revered place of worship, and people from all
over the country come to offer their prayers here. The temple also attracts a
significant number of tourists, especially during the festival of Bastar
Dussehra.
Apart from this, Maha
Shivratri is
famous in all the locations in Jagdalpur. Thousands
of devotees gather to worship Lord Shiva, observe fasts, and participate in
special prayers throughout the night of the 14th night of the Krishna Paksha in
the Hindu month of Phalguna.
Nearby
places to visit
1) Chitrakote
Waterfall (India’s widest)
2) Tirathgarh
Waterfall
3) Kanger
Valley National Park
4) historic
Bastar Palace
5) Narayan
Pal temple,
6) Dholkal
Ganesha
7) Danteshwari
Temple
8) Chandradityeshwara
temple
9) Solah
Khamba temple
10) Hiramraj
Temple
11) Twin
Ganesha Temple
12) Mama
Bhacha temple
13) Battisa
Temple