Varsha PandeyMaa Bamleshwari Devi Temple, situated on top of a hill 1,600 feet high, is a popular site.
Dongargarh is a city and a municipality in the Rajnandgaon district in the state of Chhattisgarh and is famous for Maa Bambleshwari Temple.
Maa Bamleshwari Devi Temple It is of great spiritual importance and many legends are associated with this temple.
Another prominent temple in the vicinity is the Chhota Boleshwari Temple.
For those who cannot climb up, there is also a temple of Maa at the bottom of the hill which is worshiped as Chhoti Bamleshwari Maa.
Devotees throng these temples during Navratri.
Shivji temple and a temple dedicated to Lord Hanuman are also located here.
The ropeway is an added attraction and is the only passenger ropeway in Chhattisgarh.
There was a serious accident in 2016 when the ropeway broke down and many people died.
The city is known for religious harmony and apart from Hindus, there is also a sizeable population of Buddhists, Sikhs, Christians, and Jains.
With majestic mountains and ponds, the word Dongarh is derived from Dongarh meaning ‘mountain’, and Garh meaning ‘fort’.
Location
A major pilgrimage site in the Rajnandgaon district, the city is located about 35 km west of Rajnandgaon, 67 km west of Durg, and 132 km east of Bhandara on National Highway 6.
Distance of Maa Bamleshwari Devi Temple from Raipur
Maa Bamleshwari Devi Temple 107 km from Raipur
Distance of Maa Bamleshwari Devi Temple from Nagpur
Maa Bamleshwari Devi Temple is 200 km from Nagpur
Distance of Maa Bamleshwari Devi Temple from Rajnandgaon
Maa Bamleshwari Devi Temple 40 km from Rajnandgaon
Online Services
You can take Online Ropeway Ticket Booking and Online Jyoti Kalash Booking
Ropeway has been constructed for the convenience of the passengers.
The ropeway is open from Monday to Saturday from eight in the morning to two in the afternoon and again from three in the afternoon to quarter to seven in the evening. It is open on Sundays from 7 am to 7 pm.
The Ropeway facility is available round the clock on the occasion of Navratri.
No of stairs
One has to climb 1100 steps to reach the top.
History of Maa Bamleshwari temple
It is said that about 2200 years ago, this Kamakhya city, which was fragrant with the love story of Madhavanal and Kamakandla, was ruled by King Virsen.
Here he worshiped Bhagwati Durga and Shivji for the wish of children. As a result, he got a son Ratna within a year.
Virasena named the son Madanasena.
To express gratitude to Mother Bhagwati and Lord Shiva, the king built the temple of Mother Bamleshwari, while later Madansen’s son Kamsen took over the throne.
Kamsen is believed to have been a contemporary of Vikramaditya, the king of Ujjain.
In the city of Kamakhya, famous for art, dance, and music, there was a royal dancer named Kamakandla. She was an expert in dancing and was very beautiful. Her beauty and dancing skills were talked about far and wide.
Once Kamkandla’s dance was being performed in the royal court.
At the same time, a musician named Madhavanal passed near the court and got lost in the music. Being a music lover, Madhavanal wanted to enter the court, but the courtier did not allow him to enter. Madhavanal sat outside and started enjoying tabla and ghungroo.
The musician caught a mistake.
Madhavanal felt that the tabla player’s left thumb was fake and that one of the anklets tied to the dancer’s feet did not have a pebble.
This is causing inaccuracy in the rhythm.
He said – ‘ I came here in vain. There is not a single musician in the royal court here, who can correctly identify the rhythm and catch the impurities.
When the gatekeeper heard this from that stranger about his king and the royal court, he immediately stopped him.
He immediately went to the royal court and narrated the whole thing to the king.
That’s why after getting the permission of the king, the gatekeeper took him to the royal court with respect.
On confirmation of his statement, he was given a chance to company.
Kamkandla started dancing in his company.
It seemed as if a wonderful confluence of melody and melody was taking place.
Then suddenly a bumblebee came and sat on Kamkandla’s chest.
Kamkandla’s attention was distracted for a short time, but she made the bumblebee fly away with her dancing skills.
No one could see this action, but Madhavanal was watching. This incident made Madhavanal crazy about Kamakandla. Both fell in love which Prince Madanaditya did not like at all.
King Vikramaditya made both of them together
Once Kamakandala was dancing in the company of Madhavanal.
After a very good performance, the king was pleased and gave the award to Madhavanal, but he gave the award given by the king to the royal dancer.
This enraged the king.
The king immediately ordered him to go out of the state limits, but Madhavanal did not go and hid in a cave in the hills of Dongargarh.
Kamalandala along with her friend Madhavi used to come secretly to meet Madhavanal.
On the other hand, Madanaditya, the son of King Kamsen, was atheistic and debauched in nature, contrary to his father’s nature.
He wanted Kamkandla in his heart and wanted to get her.
One day Madhavanal was at his house to meet Kamakandala at night when Madanaditya went to meet Kamakandala with his soldiers.
Seeing this, Madhavanal went towards the cave through the back way. When asked about the voices coming inside the house, Kamkandla told about talking to the walls in private.
Madanaditya was not satisfied and went towards the palace asking his soldiers to keep an eye on the house.
One night, hearing the sound of Veena from the hills and seeing Kamkandla going towards the hill, Madanaditya sat on the way and waited for her, but Kamkandla returned to her home by another way.
Danaditya put Kamkandla under house arrest at his house for being suspicious.
Correspondence was started on this through Kamkandla and Madhavanal Madhavi.
but Madnaditya caught Madhavi carrying the letter one day. Due to fear and the temptation of money, Madhavi spewed out the whole truth.
Intense war
Madanaditya imprisoned Kamkandla on charges of treason and sent soldiers to catch Madhavanal.
Seeing the soldiers coming, Madhavanal ran away from the hill and reached Ujjain.
At that time Ujjain was ruled by King Vikramaditya who was a very majestic and kind king.
Hearing Madhavanal’s compassionate story, and thinking of help.
Vikramaditya emerged victorious after a fierce battle and Madanaditya was killed by Madhavanal.
The city of Kamakhya has completely destroyed Only the rest of the mountains were left all around.
Test of true love by Vikramaditya
After the war, to test the love of Kamkandla and Madhavanal Vikramaditya, when this false information was spread that Madhavanal had attained Veergati in the war, Kamkandla committed suicide by jumping into the pool.
That pond is still famous by the name of Kamkandla.
On the other hand, Madhavanal also gave up his life due to the self-sacrifice of Kamakandla.
King Vikramaditya worshiped Mother Bamleshwari Devi (Bagulamukhi) and finally got ready to commit suicide.
Then the goddess appeared and stopped committing suicide.
After that, Vikramaditya asked for a boon along with the lives of Madhavanal and Kamakandla that Maa Bagulamukhi should be established on the hill in her awakened form.
Since then Maa Bagulamukhi Apabhransh Bamleshwari Devi is revered in Dongargarh in real form.
Something special about Maa Bamleshwari Temple
The history of Maa Bamleshwari Devi Shaktipeeth is about 2200 years old. Evidence of ancient Kamavati city has been found in the bhagraves obtained from Dongargarh. In the past, Dongargarh itself was called the glorious city of Kamakhya.
There is no clear fact about the history of Maa Bamleshwari Temple, but according to the books and documents that have come out regarding the history of the temple, the history of Dongargarh is linked to Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh.
Mother Bamleshwari is also known as the family goddess of Pratapi King Vikramaditya of Ujjaini in Madhya Pradesh.
Historians and scholars have found this area to be of the Kalchuri period, but other available materials like Jain idols have been found here twice, and apart from that some of the idols have jewelry, their clothes, ornaments, thick lips, long hair on the head. On analysis, the evidence of Gond art has been reflected in the sculpture of this region.
It is estimated that the city of Dungarakhya remained under the rule of the Gond kings till the 16th century.
The assumption is also not irrelevant that the Gond king was powerful enough, due to which a peace system was established in the state.
Even today the remains of the fort are left on the hill.
For this reason, this place was named Dongargarh (Gongar, mountain, stronghold, fort), and the temple of Maa Bamleshwari was established on the top.
Things to do
Below the temple is the Chhirpani reservoir where boating is also arranged for the passengers.
Apart from the two temples of Maa Bamleshwari in Dongargarh, there are also Bajrangbali Temple, Nag Vasuki Temple, Sheetla Temple, and Dadi Maa Temple.
While going from Rajnandgaon to Dongargarh on the Mumbai Howrah road, there is Maa Patal Bhairavi Das Mahavidya Peeth temple in Rajnandgaon, which is worth visiting due to its magnificence. Experts tell that Maa Patal Bhairavi is enshrined in the world’s largest Shivling-shaped temple.
In this three-storied temple, there is Maa Patal Bhairavi in Patal, ten Mahavidyapeeths on the first floor, and Lord Shankar’s temple on the upper floor.
Opening time
The gate of the temple remains open from 4 am to 1 pm and again from 2 pm to 10 pm.
The temple remains open continuously from 4 am to 10 pm on Sundays.
The doors of the temple remain open around the clock on the occasion of Navratri.
How To Reach Maa Bamleshwari Devi Temple
By plane
The nearest airport is Swami Vivekananda Airport, Naya Raipur which is at a distance of just 72 km from the district headquarters in Rajnandgaon.
By landing at Swami Vivekananda Airport, Naya Raipur, you can go directly to Dongargarh by rail.
By train
Different types of super fast, express, and local trains are available every hour to reach Dongargarh.
By road
So, By using National State Highway No. 6 to go by road.
Apart from this, Dongargarh can also be through the routes of many villages.
