Saturday, April 11, 2020

Narayanpal Temple, Bastar, Chattisgarh

Narayanpal Temple, Bastar, Chattisgarh
Narayanpal Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to the Lord Vishnu located in Narayanpal Village in Bastar District in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh. This is the only ancient Vishnu temple in the whole Bastar district. The Temple is situated near the confluence of rivers Indravati and Narangi. The Temple is one of the protected monuments in Chattisgarh declared by Archaeological Survey of India.


History
The temple is contemporary to the Khajuraho Temple of India, located in the state of Madhya Pradesh. The Temple was built by Mumundadevi, the queen of Chindaka Nagavanshi dynasty in 11th Century CE. The temple has the influence of Chalukya style of architecture. As per the archaeologists, the temple was earlier a Shiva temple but later, the idols of Lord Vishnu were installed in the sanctum.


The Temple
This is an east facing temple. The Temple is Saptha Ratha on plan. The Temple stands on large platform. It has an imposing curvilinear sikhara. The sanctum houses the black stone image of four armed Vishnu. The image is canopied by a hooded snake showing its tribal affiliation. There is an inscription dated to 1110 CE by Gund Mahadevi, the mother of Nagwanshi King Someswar. The inscription talks about the grant of gifting land to Lokeswar by Gund Mahadevi.


Connectivity
The Temple is located at about 8 Kms from Chitrakote Waterfalls, 33 Kms from Bastar, 35 Kms from Jagdalpur, 38 Kms from Jagdalpur Railway Station, 38 Kms from Jagdalpur Airport, 52 Kms from Barsur and 269 Kms from Raipur. The Temple is situated on Jagdalpur to Chitrakote Waterfalls Route near the confluence of Indravati River and Narangi River.

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