Barsur, Chattisgarh – History
The origin of the word Barsur is
believed to be from the word Balsuri, Balsuri became famous as Barsurgarh
later. Inscriptions and coins circulated
by Nala Dynasty Kings have been found in Chhattisgarh and Dandakaranya region.
King Bhavdatt Varman of Nala Dynasty gained victory over many places of Southern
Bastar. A Gangavanshi ruler of Odisha in 850 AD invaded Dandakaranya region and
established his Kingdom. One of his son, started ruling over Bastar. He made
village Barsur on the banks of river Indravati, as their capital.
Remnants of ancient capital can
be seen to this day. Gangavanshi rulers constructed many temples in Barsur,
among them Mama Banja temple is still in good condition. Nagavanshi rulers
gained victory over Gangavanshi rulers in 11th century CE, and they
also made Barsur as their capital. Later, Nagavanshi ruler Jagdeshbhusan
Dharavarsha transferred his capital from Barsur to Taaralpal, present day
Dantewada. Still Nagavanshi rulers built many temples and excavated lakes in
Barsur.
The last Nagavanshi ruler
Harishchandra was defeated by the ruler of Kakatiya dynasty, Raja Annamdev. After
this incident, importance of Barsur and Bastar went to obscurity. It is
believed that there were about 147 temples and an equal number of ponds here
during its heyday. Mama Bhanja Temple, Chandraditya Temple, Battisa Temple,
Twin Ganesha Temple, 16 Pillar Temple, Hiram Raj Temple, Bhairava Temple, few
ruined temples and lakes dated to 11th Century AD can be found at
present in Barsur.
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