Barsur, Chattisgarh – History

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 11^th 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 11^th Century AD can be found at present in Barsur.