Bamleshwari Temple, Dongargarh

About The Temple

Pay Your Holy Tributes To The Bamleshwari Temple – Dongargarh

Situated in the district of Rajnandgaon at Dongargarh, the Bambleshwari Temple is one of the most famous pilgrimage destinations of Chattisgarh. Its exact location is at an elevation of 1600 feet, on top of a hill. Moreover, this famous temple possesses a dual construction. Apart from the Badi Bambleshwari, devotees can offer holy tributes at the Chhotti Bambleshwari temple, situated at a distance of half kilometers, from the Badi Bambleshwari complex. According to local legends, the construction era of the temple dates back to 2200 years ago. In dedicated remembrance of the glories of Lord Shiva and hisconsort Lord Parvati, Raja Veersen is believed to have constructed this temple.

Significant cultural aspects

With passage of time, the deity of bamleshwari temple dongargarh chhattisgarh experienced transformation in its nomenclature. Initially identified as Maa Bagulamukhi, it came to be known as Maa Bamlai. Finally, in the present day, the temple is famous as Bamleshwari Mandir. Some of the unique cultural and religious heritage of the temple divulges interesting facts about the temple. Dedicated devotees and pilgrims completely immerse themselves into the holy ambiance of the temple, especially during the arti, performed twice daily. Moreover, another intriguing fact states the use of red chili or pepper, during the performance of Havan. The use of red chili signifies complete eradication of all evil.

The main deity

The principal deity of the temple is Maa Bagalamukhi, regarded as one of the strongest manifestations of Lord Durga. According to the most prevalent historical legends about the deity, some of the significant ones state that the Goddess was initially known as Vimala Devi Maheswari. Moreover, with the miraculous power of the goddess, her devotees can be possessors of unprecedented might. Apart from that, pilgrims all over the country, seek blessings of the deity, to ensure utmost protection against foes.

Detailed enumeration of the idol

Dedicated devotees and pilgrims all over the country seek blessings of Goddess Bamleshwari, for prosperity and protection from all evil. A benevolent view of the idol of is capable of pleasing pilgrims and devotees. You can view the deity, seated in a dome-like temple structure, bounded by four golden structures. Colored in the conventional vermillion paint, a majestic golden crown adorns the head of the idol. Embellished with heavy jewels, there are beautiful garlands, offered as sacred tributes.

Importance of Havan kund

One of the major intriguing aspects about the temple is its Arti sessions as well as havans. The temple reverberates with the harmonious chants of prayers and mantras, as the priests perform puja. Moreover, the performance of havans, with utmost dedication eradicates all evil forces and results in the prosperity of devotees. Visiting the bamleshwari devi temple, on Sundays, will provide you with the opportunity of attending the special havan. Through this special havan at the Bari Bamleshwari temple, offerings are made to Lord Agni Dev, for strength and positive energy. Special havans occur during the time of Navaratri celebrations.

Navratri celebrations

The temple hosts the gala celebrations of Navaratri, twice a year. Each celebration is extended till nine days. According to the lunar calendar of the Hindus, Chaitra Navaratri occurs within the Shukla Paksha period of Chaitra. On the ninth day, the temple celebrates the birth of Lord Rama with utmost grandeur. Because of this aspect, this specific celebration of Navaratri is also popular as Ram Navratri. Apart from that, it also possesses the name of Vasant Navratri, owing to its occurrence during autumn.

Apart from Ram Navratri, the temple hosts Maha Navratri celebrations. Maha Navratri also possesses a unique nomenclature as Sharad Navratri. According to the Hindu calendar, the celebrations of Maha Navratri start from the first day of the month of Ashwin. During this celebratory period, there is a unique religious custom performed by devotees. They lit up akhand jyotis, in the holy remembrance of the goddess Bamleshwari.

A renowned pilgrimage spot

Among the most popular destinations of pilgrimage, the Bamleshwari Devi temple is a significant one. It remains open from 4 o’ clock at night, till 12 o’ clock. However, these timings are for weekdays. On weekends, the time frame ranges from 5 o’ clock in the morning till ten o’ clock in the evening. Pilgrims all over the country visit the temple in huge numbers, during Navratri celebrations of Kavar as well as Chaitra.

How To Reach

Due to the unique and hassle-free transportation available in the area, visiting the temple is no longer a tedious job. You just require complete information about the bamleshwari temple darshan timings, to offer prayers to the deity. The place offers superior connectivity in almost all transportation mediums.

By Air - Travelling by the regular flights of Indian Airlines, you can reach either Delhi or Nagpur. These areas, offer lucid connectivity with the capital state, Raipur, which is at a distance of 110 kilometres from the temple.
By Rail - In case you take the train route, the railway station at Dongargarh is the closest. Apart from that, there is Bilaspur and Raipur, as the nearest rail domes, offering great connectivity to pilgrims all over the country.
By Road - Owing to its location at the heart of Chattisgarh, devotees and pilgrims can reach the place from any place within the city. Moreover, if you are an out station pilgrim and wish to visit the temple from Kolkata or Bhubaneswar, you can easily do so. The national highways 16, 43 and 6 connect the place quite effectively, with almost all the metropolitans.

Because of its elevated location, on a hilltop, ropeway travel facilities are also available for aged pilgrims or those with restricted mobility. Apart from that, dedicated devotees can also take the path of 1100 stairs, to reach to the deity.

Nearby Attractions

Apart from the principal temple, there are several other destinations to visit. Devotees, pilgrims as well as tourists within the entire country and beyond, can catch a glimpse of the bamleshwari temple history and other significant places of interest.

While paying your holy tributes to the deity of Maa Bamleshwari, you can also pay a brief visit to the Hanumanji Temple, situated in proximity to the Choti Bamleshwari temple. This specific temple is the holy abode of Lord Hanuman and also possesses a dual construction. The other Hanuman temple is located in the mountains, along the path of the Badi Bamleshwari temple.
Another noted place of pilgrimage is the Shivji temple, located along the mountainous tracks of Badi Bamleshwari. It is situated at almost a distance of three-fourth from the main temple premise. You can witness some exquisite architectural excellence in the temple, through the decorations. Most of the decorations include the representations of various postures of snakes. On the way towards entering the temple, the presence of the sacred Shiva Linga showers glory and blessings on the devotees.
Constructed mainly because of the inaccessibility of the Badi Bamleshwari temple, the Choti Bamleshwari temple is constructed on the plains. It is an extension of the main temple, and also attracts considerable amounts of devotees and pilgrims round a year.
Apart from the unique pilgrim as well as tourist destinations of the place, the hill of Chandragiri has a temple for Jains in the region. Moreover, the presence of the great statue of Chandraprabhuji, the Teerthankara deity, adds to the historical charm of the temple. Apart from that, the temple bears the blessings of a great Jain sage.
Apart from that, moving towards Rajnandangaon, will introduce you to a plethora of options in sightseeing.

History Of Temple

The most popular historical legends of the temple state that Lord Mahadev and Parvati blessed King Veersen to construct the temple. After many years of infertility, the queen of Veersen gave birth to Madansen, their son. Considering it as a blessing of Lord Shiva, he built a temple at Dongargarh. This particular temple popularly emerged as Shri Bamleshwari Mandir. Now, Madansen’s son Kansen was an unprecedented ruler of the time and named the place as Kamakhya or Kamakhya Nagri.

Popular legends also state that a fierce battle occurred between the mighty forces of Raja Vikramaditya and Raja Kamsen. The reason of this massive fight was the budding love between Kaamkandala and Madhavnal. Resulting in the complete destruction of Kamavati, both Kaamkandala and Madhavnal died in the war. It is after the demise of Kaamkandala that king Viramaditya repented his doings and set out for the means of penance. His deep sorrow on the suicide of Kaamkandala directed him towards a holy path of worship. As a result, Maa Bagalamukhi gifted him with her appearance.

The king requested the deity to reside at the place and grant a second life to both Kaamkandala as well as Madhavnal. Since then, the temple has been the holy abode of Maa Bagalamukhi Devi. With the rapid passage of time, the temple underwent a transformation in its name. Thousands of pilgrims around the year flock around the temple for a glimpse of the deity. Moreover, the preparations for bamleshwari puja are done with utmost dedication and splendor.