Gandheshwar temple on the banks of Mahanandi

Gandheshwar temple of Sirpur is devoted to Lord Shiva and situated on the banks of waterway Mahanandi.

The uniqueness of the sanctuary is that it is built with the compositional stays of antiquated sanctuaries and vihars.

The different figures of Hindu Gods and wonderful sanctuary carvings are significant attractions of the sanctuary.

The statues of Buddha touching the earth, Natraj, Garud Narayan, and Mahishasur mardini are extremely uncommon and similarly charming.

Travelers rush to visit the uncommon face of Ravan, a well-known fascination of this sanctuary.

The numerous Shiva-Leela pictures at the highest point of the passageway are only a look at the miracles that are holding up to be explored inside.

Gandheshwar temple of Sirpur

Lord Shiva temple in many famous temples across the country.

However, several Shiva temples have been discovered by the Archaeology Department which are not so famous.

One such temple is Gandeshwar Mahadev in Mahasamund, Chhattisgarh.

Historical experts have determined that the Gandeshwar temple’s Shivalinga is approximately 2,000 years old and is made of stone with twelve Jyotirlingas.

The most unique feature of the Shivalinga is its fragrance, which is similar to basil leaves.

Archaeology experts believe that a large temple was constructed on this site by the Sarbhapuriya kings in the early 1st century. However, the temple was destroyed in a devastating earthquake in the 12th century and later by the Chitrotpala Mahanadi flood. Despite this destruction, the Gandeshwar Shivalinga was preserved.

The Archaeology Department has been conducting excavations at this location for several years, and many small and large Shivlingas have been discovered. Experts believe that the temple’s ground contains the history of an entire civilization, buried beneath layers of sand and soil.

In the last excavation conducted, coins, statues, copper plates, utensils, and inscriptions that were around 2,000 years old were discovered. These findings are considered invaluable in terms of archaeology.

Festivals in Gandheshwar temple of Sirpur

Mahashivratri in March is the main festival of the temple.

How to Reach Gandheshwar Temple of Sirpur

Airport

Raipur is the nearest airport (85 km) and well linked to Mumbai, Delhi, Nagpur, Bhubaneswar, Kolkata, Indore, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Bhopal, Goa, Pune, Vishakhapatnam and Chennai.

Railways

Raipur is the nearest railway station on the Mumbai-Howrah main line while Mahasamund railway station is the nearest railway station on the Raipur-Waltair line. Mahasamund city is connecting with Mumbai, Delhi, Nagpur, Raipur, Bilaspur, Durg, Vishakhapatnam, Puri, Bhubhneshwar, Ahemedabad, Ajmer, Jodhpur, Sambalpur, Titilagarh.