Mama Bhanja Temple, Barsur,
Chattisgarh
Mama Bhanja Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to the Lord Shiva located
in Barsur Town
in Dantewada District in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh.
Barsur is located on the banks of Indravati River. The Temple is one of the protected
monuments in Chattisgarh declared by Archaeological Survey of
India.
Legends
Story 1:
Once, a Nagavanshi ruler, an
ardent devotee of Lord Shiva decided to build a mighty Shiva Temple in just one
day so that his fame and his dynasty greatness would spread all over the known
world. Two architects were called to finish this herculean task. Both were
related to each other (One was uncle (Mama) to the other, other was nephew
(Bhanja) to him). Both of them built a grand edifice in a single day fulfilling
King’s wish. Happy King called the architects, thanked them and paid their
wages. Also, the king honored the duo by naming the temple after them. Thus,
the temple came be called as Mama Bhanja Temple.
Story 2:
A Gangavanshi King were ruling
the surrounding areas with Barsur as its capital. The king's nephew was an avid
lover of art and architecture. He called an architect from Utkal country
to build a grand temple without telling his maternal uncle, reigning King. When
the king heard about this news, he was angry and tortured his nephew. Out
of rage, his nephew killed his maternal uncle, the reigning king. King’s nephew
later regretted for his sin a lot. He installed an idol of the king in the
shape of king’s head in the temple in memory of him. Later, after king’s
nephew death, his idol was also installed in the temple in his memory. Thus,
due to these idols, the temple came to be called as Mama Bhanja Temple.
History
For brief details, please refer below link;
The Temple
The temple is about 50 feet (16
meter) high with a well preserved imposing curvilinear Sikhara over the
sanctum. The temple is built upon a moulded base. There is an image of Ganesh
on the lalatabimba (lintel). Two Ganesha Idols and Narasimha can be found in
the temple. The adhisthana and the door jambs are decorated with excellent
carvings of foliage, lotuses etc. Sculptures of the architects Mama (maternal uncle)
and Bhanja (nephew) can be found little below the top of the temple. An
inscription in Telugu characters datable to the 13th Century A.D. is
found on the temple platform. The Temple had some Dravidian influence in its
architecture.
Connectivity
The
Temple is located at about 1 Km from Battisa Temple, 21 Kms from Geedam Bus
Station, 22 Kms from Geedam, 27 Kms from Geedam Railway Station, 41 Kms from Dantewada,
79 Kms from Bastar, 94 Kms from Jagdalpur, 96 Kms from Jagdalpur Railway
Station, 97 Kms from Jagdalpur Airport, 143 Kms from Bhopalpatnam, 308 Kms from
Raipur and 317 Kms from Raipur Airport. The temple is situated on Jagdalpur to
Bhopalpatnam route.
Location
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