Sirpur Group of Monuments,
Chattisgarh
Sirpur
Group of Monuments are an archaeological and tourism site containing Hindu, Jain and Buddhist monuments
from the 5th to 12th centuries in Mahasamund district of the state
of Chhattisgarh, India. The site
is spread near the banks of the river Mahanadi.
Sirpur Group of Monuments has been declared of national importance under the
Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act 1958. Sirpur
is a pilgrimage site for the followers of Jainism,
Buddhism and Hinduism.
History
For
brief details, please refer below link;
The Monuments
Sirpur
has been significant for its temple ruins of Rama and Lakshmana of the Ramayana
fame, as well as those related to Shaivism, Shaktism, Buddhism and Jainism. The
site excavations after 1950, particularly after 2003, have yielded 22 Shiva
temples, 5 Vishnu temples, 10 Buddha Viharas, 3 Jain Viharas, a 6th /7th
century market, Palace and snana-Kund (bath house). The site shows extensive
syncretism, where Buddhist and Jain statues or motifs intermingle with Shiva,
Vishnu and Devi Temples.
Lakshmana Temple:
Rama Temple:
For
brief details, please refer below link;
Surang Tila:
For
brief details, please refer below link;
Baleshwar Mahadev Temple Complex:
For
brief details, please refer below link;
https://hindutemples-india.blogspot.com/2020/06/baleshwar-mahadev-temple-complex-sirpur-chattisgarh.html
Gandheshwar Temple:
For brief
details, please refer below link;
Ananda Prabhu Vihara:
For
brief details, please refer below link;
Teevardev Vihara:
For
brief details, please refer below link;
Swastika Vihara:
For
brief details, please refer below link;
Sirpur Stupa:
For
brief details, please refer below link;
Ancient Citadel:
For
brief details, please refer below link;
Rajmahal Complex:
For
brief details, please refer below link;
ASI Museum:
For
brief details, please refer below link;
Jain Monuments:
One
Jain Basati and monastery ruins has been discovered near the river banks and
about 100 meters from an 8th Century Shiva temple. A bronze image
of Adinatha (Rishaba, the first Tirthankara)
was found in the ruins, and the image is dated to the 9th century CE.
Rakela Tal:
Rakela
Tal is situated near the Rama Temple on the east side of the Sirpur road. It is
a manmade lake. Ruins of an ancient fort, several Hindu and Buddhist monuments
mixed in with farmlands and a modern era Krishna temple. As per local folklore, the tank has a paras
stone. In ancient times, a shepherd from Sirpur noticed a goat joins his herd
in the day and left in the evening. He decided to find the reason behind this
mysterious happening.
One
evening, he followed the goat and noticed that the goat went into the tank and
disappeared. He was surprised to see the miracle and got confused. A stone was
thrown to him and a divine voice was heard. It stated that the stone was the
reward to his work in herding the goat. The cowherder got angry on seeing the
stone as his reward. He struck the stone back to the tank with his axe. Later,
he found his axe got turned into gold. He searched for the stone in tank, but
he did not find.
Shiva Temple – 1:
This
Shiva Temple was excavated in the premises near to Teevardev Monastery. It
houses a 4.5 feet tall Shiva Linga in the sanctum.
Shiva Temple – 2:
This
Shiva Temple is situated near to Ananda Prabhu Kuti Vihara, on the way to
Senkapat. This Shiva Temple houses a Shiva Linga in its sanctum.
Shiva Temple – 3:
The
Temple was Pancharatha on plan. It houses a 4 feet tall Shiva Linga in the
sanctum.
Metal Idols
Sirpur
was known for the mastery of creating metal idols in the 8th Century
AD. Metal idols were discovered in Sirpur as early as in 1939. Metal idols
found here are showcased in Raipur, Nagpur, New Delhi museums and Mumbai's
Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan. Sirpur has always been in international limelight for
its amazing excavations including the metal idols. These idols have also been
sported in Germany, England and America. Some of the famous idols are Buddha, Avalokitesawara
Padampani, Vajrapani, Manjushri, Tara and intricately crafted Vishnu &
Rishabhnath idols.
Connectivity
Sirpur
is located at about 37 Kms from Mahasamund, 38 Kms from Mahasamund Railway
Station, 45 Kms from Arang, 74 Kms from Raipur Airport and 82 Kms from Raipur. Sirpur Village
is situated on the banks of the river Mahanadi
in Mahasamund District in the state of
Chhattisgarh. Sirpur is accessible from Raipur by a four-lane National Highway 53.
Regular bus services connect Raipur and Sirpur. The nearest railway station is
Mahasamund Railway Station. The nearest airport is the Swami Vivekananda
airport at Raipur with
daily flights to major cities in India.
Location
