Varsha Pandey
The Mama Banja Temple is in the small village of Barsur in the Dhanthewada district of Chhattisgarh.
On hearing the name Bastar, green valleys, trees, mountains, waterfalls, rivers, etc. come to people’s minds.
Among the waterfalls, the names of Chitrakot and Tirathgarh come first.
But apart from these waterfalls, Bastar has a lot more to offer.
You must have seen many temples and heard about many temples, but today we are going to tell you about a temple that is the only one in the whole world, there is no other temple like it.
This is one of the most famous religious sites in Chhattisgarh.
This temple is also very tall.
And greenery is all around.
The art craft of the temple is eye-catching.
Temple is so old and Cracky walls itself shows its history.
However, The temple is now in a state of repair and the ‘Archaeology Department of India’ is working to improve it.
The ‘Mama-Bhanja Mandir’ was very high and stone idols of maternal uncles and nephews were also made on either side.
One of the tourist attractions in Chhattisgarh, Mamabanja Temple has become an interesting place for tourists these days.
Although the temple is under the supervision of the “Archaeological Department of India”, it is not possible to know when the temple was built, why it was built, how it was built, etc.
History of Mama Banja Temple
Although this temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva.
it is called Mama Banja Mandir.
It is said that two craftsmen, ‘Mama’ and ‘Banja’, completed this temple in just one day.
Both built the temple in one day.
A temple Mama-Bhanja is located in Barsoor village of the Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh.
There is an interesting story behind the name of this temple.
This temple was built in the 11th century by the then-king Banasur of the Chhindak Nagvanshi kingdom.
This temple was built by my maternal uncle and nephew craftsman together.
The most special thing about this temple is that it was built by the craftsmen in a single day.
The grand temple was built in a single day
A special type of sandstone has been used to build this temple.
Whereas, This temple is very high.
Rock paintings are engraved on the walls of this temple.
It shows the wonderful artwork of that era.
A little below the top of this temple, the idols of two craftsmen Mama and Bhanja have been installed side by side.
The idols of Lord Shiva, Ganesha, and Narasimha have been installed in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple.
Shiva and Ganesh Temple
This temple is mainly a temple of Shiva and Ganesha.
It is said that there is a story behind the naming of this temple.
King Banasura used to rule here a long time ago.
This king used to be a great devotee of Shiva.
To show his true faith in Shiva and to please God, he dreamed of building a unique Shiva temple.
The construction of this temple was to be done in just one day so that the fame of the king’s fame spread in all directions and the name of his family.
To fulfill his wish, he called two famous craftsmen of his state.
It is said that these craftsmen were not common citizens, they were sent from Devloka.
Even some people call those two craftsmen the descendants of Dev Shilpi Vishwakarma.
But there is no evidence for this.
The name of the temple was given to the craftsmen
The king ordered the craftsmen to build the Shiva temple in a single day. , After getting the order, the artisans showed their workmanship in such a way that all the people of today’s world would gnash their teeth.
Both those craftsmen built the grand temple in a single day.
So, This work was nothing less than a miracle for that time.
In those days there were no tools like today, yet their workmanship was very good.
How the craftsmen would have brought such thick rocks to a height, how they would have carved the rocks, how they would have made a grand and tall temple by joining the stones, it is a matter to think about.
Happy with the work, the king took this decision
When the craftsmen completed the construction of the temple, after that the king installed the idol of Shivling and Ganesha in this temple.
After this, the king called those craftsmen, expressed his gratitude to them, and gave them their wages.
The king was pleased to see their workmanship and the art of completing the work in a short time.
He also told the craftsmen that from today this temple will be known as both your maternal uncle and nephew.
Since then till date, that temple is known as Mama-bhanja temple.
Story
According to another legend, Barsur is home to the kingdom of King Gangavanshiya.
The king’s nephew was an art lover.
So, Without informing his maternal uncle Raja, he summoned craftsmen from the land of Utkar and began building a great temple.
When the king found out about this, he became very jealous and called his nephew to torture him.
The nephew was enraged and killed his maternal uncle.
After that, he regretted many things.
As his penance, he erected a statue of himself in the form of his head in this temple.
So he built this temple in memory of his maternal uncle.
Later, after the death of his nephew, a statue was also placed in the temple in his memory.
Hence, it is Mamabanja Temple after these two idols of him.
Some scholars refer to it as an ancient Shiva temple.
maternal uncle and nephew cannot visit together in Mama Banja Temple
There is another special thing behind this temple.
However, the maternal uncle and nephew cannot enter this temple together.
This is because it is said that if the maternal uncle and nephew visit this temple together, there will be a difference of opinion between them.
Their relationships will also sour.
Distance of Mama Banja Temple from Jagdalpur
Almost 100km
Distance of Mama Banja Temple from Gidam
!8 km
How to reach Mama Banja Temple
It is 23 km away from Guidam Jagdalpur Dantewada Road.
To get here, take a bus, private car, tourist office bus, or plane from the capital city of Raipur to Jagdalpur and drive on.
Opening time
10:00 AM to 5:00 PM
