Amarkantak
Amarkantak is situated in the Maikal Mountains
at an altitude of 1057 m, which are the meeting point of the Vindhyas
and the Satpura Mountain Ranges in Central India. It is also the
source of the rivers Narmada and Sone and thus is an important
pilgrimage center for Hindus. There are dense forests of teak,
Mahua, etc. around Amarkantak where one can find numerous small
& trickling streams feeding the Narmada.
In its course Narmada passes through Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra and Gujarat and meets the Arabian Sea at Bharuch in
Gujarat. The 1312 kms course of Narmada is breathtaking as she
meanders her way through large forests, breathtaking waterfalls.
Narmada has also been named "Rewa" (rev means leap) due to its
turbulent course over the gorges, waterfalls and rapids. The Puranas,
ancient Hindu texts, consider it necessary for one to bathe once
in the Ganga, thrice in the Saraswati and for 7 days in the Yamuna
to attain salvation, but just the sight of the Narmada is enough
to ensure eternal bliss. People living along the banks of Narmada
consider her holier than the river Ganga and respect her as a
source of life, thus referring to her as Narmada Mai (Mother Narmada).
Excursion
Shwetamber Jain Temple
Shri shwetamber jain shri sangh did the pratistha of "shri rishab
dev" in raipur here. The temple has 3 prasadas, 3 devkulikayes
& 8 gavashas. Apart from this there is a beautiful statue
of chandraprabhu swami, which is adorned with gems. The temple
has all the statues of the 24 jain tirthankars.
Shri Jagannath Dev Temple
More than a hundred years old and named after lord jagannath,
the temple has a le
gend. It is believed that
in the 18th century one pujarii family passing through here performed
pujas for the ailing ruler, which cured him. The pujari had said
that if the ruler recovered he would build a jagannath temple
here. The family was requested by the ruler to stay back.
In this yatra lord balbhadra, devi subhadra and
lord jagannath are taken in different chariots (raths), which
are pulled by the devotees. The yatra goes on for 15 days. On
full moon day the rathyatra goes back to the jagannath temple.
There is a myth that those who see lord jagannath, lord balbhadra
and devi subhadra during this rathyatra achieve "moksh" (nirvana)
and people not only from raipur but from nearby cities come to
be a part of this festival.
Guru Nanak Devji Gurudwara
Constructed in the year 1940 this gurudwara in raipur is the oldest
and biggest of all the 500 gurudwaras found in the original state
of madhya pradesh. This gurudwara welcomes all people, irrespective
of religion, cast, creed and wealth.
Dongargarh
Dongar means mountains while garh means fort. Like most places
of pilgrimage, dongargarh also has legend behind it. Roughly 2200
years ago, raja veersen, a ruler of this kingdom, was childless
and upon the suggestions of his royal priests, went to mahishmatipuri
(mandla) to perform some puja and construct a temple. Within a
year, the princess gave birth to a son whom they named madansen.
Raja veersen considered this a blessing of lord shiva and parvati
and constructed a temple here. Raja madansen went on to have a
son named kamsen, under whose rule the kingdom flourished and
it came to be known as kamakhaya nagari. Now the place is known
as dongargarh. The maa bamleshwari devi temple is of great spiritual
importance. Situated at a height of 1000 ft, this is the main
temple at dongargarh. One has to climb 1100 stairs to reach here.
Chhoti Bamleshwari
The temple on the plains is dedicated to the goddess bamleshwari
and is popularly known as choti bamleshwari devi temple. The temple
was constructed on the plains for those who wished to pray to
the goddess but couldn't walk all the way up to the main temple
on the mountain.
Dudhadhari Math
The founder of this "math" (temple) was shri balbhadra das mahantji.
He was a great devotee of lord hanuman. It is believed that when
he started worshipping a piece of stone as an idol of lord hanuman,
everyday a cow, surhi would come and bathe the stone with milk.
Popular belief is that mahantji drank this milk after the stone
was bathed and stopped eating everything else. Since mahantji's
food became "dudh-ahari" (meaning food consisting of milk), the
math came to be named so.
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Getting There
By Air
The nearest airhead is Jabalpur (245 kms).
By Rail
The nearest railhead is Pendra Road (17 kms) though Anuppur (48
kms.) is more convenient.
By Road
There are buses from Pendra Road, Bilaspur and Shahdol.
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General Information & Accomdation info
on Amarkantak city of Chattisgarh - India
