Bamleshwari Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Raipur Airport is the nearest airport to Dongargarh.

• By train

  Dongargarh is on the Mumbai-Howrah main line, 100 km from Raipur and 200 km from Nagpur.

• By road

  Dongargarh is 107 km from Raipur, via Bhilai, Durg and Rajnandgaon. Rajnandgaon, the district headquarters, is 40 km away and is well connected by bus.

On the way

• A ropeway in cable cars carries pilgrims from the base of the hill to the temple on top.
• Devotees who prefer to walk can climb around 1,000 small steps to the shrine.

Why devotees come here

Bamleshwari Temple is a Hindu temple on a hilltop at Dongargarh in Rajnandgaon district, Chhattisgarh. It is dedicated to Devi Bamleshwari, and many devotees from Chhattisgarh revere it. Crowds gather here during the Navratri festivals.

Bamleshwari Temple is the shrine of Devi Bamleshwari. The origin story is a legend. It tells of Raja Veersen, a local king who had no children. On the advice of his royal priests he performed puja, and afterwards a son was born to him.

The legend says the king then built the temple here, and he took the son as a blessing from Shiva and Parvati. It places these events around 2,200 years ago.

The temple stands on a hilltop 1,600 feet high. Pilgrims reach the shrine by ropeway from the base or by climbing the steps, and both routes end at the same shrine on top. The ropeway is popular with visitors. It is the only one set up in Chhattisgarh state.

Festivals

• Kavar, during DussheraKavar Navratri

  Large numbers of devotees gather at the shrine during these Navratris.

• Chaitra, during Ram NavamiChaitra Navratri

  A Jyoti Kalash is lit during the Navratris, and the shrine draws large crowds.

Tips for your visit

• The ropeway runs 1,300 metres from the base of the hill to the temple.
• Chhotti Bambleshwari, another temple at ground level, lies about half a km from the main complex.

Questions people ask