Top Amazing Destinations in India-Hauntingly Beautiful Chhattisgarh

More than a billion years ago, Earth shivered and stretched herself as if waking up from a deep slumber.

Yoga at Chitrakote Falls…The River Indrawati in her glory..

Her bosom heaved up and down and from within her womb, a massive volume of lava erupted upwards.Her convulsions left deep scars upon her body, the lava gradually cooled off and thus, the area that we know as Chhattisgarh, was born.Geologists call her a part of Gondwanaland.But, what is in a name, you might wonder.And I agree with you .The ancient events unleashed upon the body of Mother Earth led to an unprecedented vista of beauty and wildlife.And, thus, was born the hauntingly beautiful Indian state of Chhattisgarh!

A much calmer Indrawati, downstream

Which way you look at it, the defining colour of Chhattisgarh is GREEN and the myriad shades that go with this colour.

Jungles standing for more than a million years

So, while you lusted after the snow washed landscapes of Alaska and the Rockies, or pined for a vacation in the South of France or planned your itineraries of the velds of South Africa and Botswana, Chhattisgarh revelled in her own beauty but, readying herself with out of the world hospitality that India is known about.

Bewitching-Teerathrajgarh Falls, South Chhatttisgarh

Thanks for taking time off to read my two pence on the Playground of Gods-Chhattisgarh!

The Story of Rama and the Pandavas

One of the greatest humans that the world has seen is Lord Rama. Incarnate of Lord Vishnu-he the preserver in the Trinity- Lord Rama inherited the kingdom of Kosal from his father, Dashrath after vanquishing Ravan.Lord Rama upon his retirement divided his kingdom between his two brothers, Luv and Kush.The latter got South (Dakshin) Kosal as his inheritance and established his capital at Kushasthale , somewhere near Malhar in the Bilaspur district of Chhattisgarh.So, you see, Chhattisgarh as a political unit has been there for more than 5000 years .Eventually, the Dakshin Kosal kingdom dissipated -as all kingdoms do- because of the rising power of Magadh in Bihar.

Aha, I just remembered the story of Jarasandha.This fellow was blessed by a goddess that his death would come only when another man would tear him apart.So, as fate would have it, he was torn asunder by Bhimsena, the Pandava who possessed the powers of 18,000 elephants.When Jarasandha died, 36 or Chhattis of his clanmen left the kingdom and settled in the dense forests of Chhattisgarh.Garh was the corrupt form of Griha or House, hence, Chhattisgarh.

Well, Lord Rama had a younger brother, Lakshman, who was the incarnation of Sheshnag, or the celestial snake who bears the burden of Earth.Roughly, 1500 years ago, Queen Vasata decided to construct a temple in memory of her husband, Harshagupta at Sirpur, near the Mahanadi river.The temple was dedicated to Lord Vishnu earlier but, later , it came to be known as Lakshman temple by the local folks.

O Lord, spare us from your upheaval!

Could it be that, the locals thought pleasing Lord Sheshnag would be better to deliver them from frequent earthquakes in this region?Remember, Sheshnag and Lakshman are one and the same!

 Though, this temple is made of brick, one can not but admire the craftsmanship which is normally associated with stone.Have a look..

 Most of the ancient temples in India composed of brick are no more.They have either decayed or have been destroyed by the Muslim invading armies.So, this temple is special.

The windows seem to be made of wood

I love you, Devadasi Sutunuka, I love you!

He was a sculptor, she a court dancer. Intoxicated in love, they used to find solace in a secluded cave in the Ramgiri hills.

Smitten by love, he wrote on the walls; “Roopdaksh Devdin is enamoured by Devdasi Sutunuka.”

Who is a Devadasi?

Devadasi , meaning, maid of God, is a concept that now belongs to the past.Devadasis were young, unmarried girls who devoted their lives to the Lord and lived in the temple premises.They never married but, some of them wanted to break away from their lives. Sutanaka was probably onse such devadasi.

Haunting, is.nt it? The graffiti has survived and has inspired countless budding poets write prose in the adjoining caves. This happened more than 2000 years ago.The language used was Prakrit as it was the dialect among the common folk.

 Many centuries later, a weary poet arrives in one of those caves and his muse takes over.Inspired by the swirling clouds that hover above the hills nearby, he pens down Meghadootam, an epic that tells us about the pining that a lover feels for his beloved and begs the clouds to convey his message to her! The poet- Kalidasa, one of the greatest poets that the world has seen. Kalidasa was among the nine eminent men in the court of one of the greatest Indian Emperors, Chandragupta Vikramaditya.His tale is no less interesting!

It is said that Kalidasa was an illiterate man in his youth.His parents married him off to an unsuspecting wise and learned lady.One day, the lady discovered her husband’s deficiencies and scolded him.Insulted, Kalidasa vowed to himself to more than match up to his vastly educated wife.

He made himself into a world famous poet, ultimately!

This happened nearly 2000 years back !!!

 Ramgiri is in the Surguja district of Chhattisgarh.

Could these clouds have inspired Kalidasa?

Folks, our journey to Chhattisgarh has just started and there is more stuff to come, so be patient.In times to come, I shall reveal more stories to you about this land and its people. Reaching Chhattisgarh is easy, just log on to www.tourism.cg.gov.in or write an email to visitcg@gmail.com  If you are a Twitter nerd, drop a tweet @misra_ias or @GoChhattisgarh or to me @swayamt You may write directly to me at swayamt@gmail.com and I will be happy to connect you with the right people. How to reach ;. Just book a flight from Delhi or Mumbai to Raipur and you are there.However, I would advise the compulsive traveller to take a train ride.The train takes you through some of the most breathtaking landscapes of the world, I assure you. So, folks, how do you find the first instalment of my Chhattisgarh series? Do let me know, please. Thank you.