Narayanpal Temple near the confluence of Indravati & Narangi

Narayanpal Temple

Narayanpal Temple is a Hindu temple of Lord Vishnu in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh.

It is in Narayanpal village of Bastar district.

This is the only old Vishnu temple in the entire Bastar district near the confluence of the Indravati and Narangi rivers.

The temple is one of the protected monuments of Chhattisgarh by the Archaeological Survey of India.

This temple is towards the east.

The plan of the temple is Sapta Rathas.

The temple stands on a broad base.

It has a curvy line which is very impressive.

The sanctum has a black stone image of Vishnu with four arms.

History of Narayanpal Temple

Narayanpal Temple is 908 years old.

The temple is similar to the Khajuraho temple in India, which is in Madhya Pradesh.

Queen Mumundadevi of the Chindak Nagvanshi dynasty established the temple in the 11th century.

The architecture of the temple is by the Chalukyas.

According to historians, the temple was originally a Shiva temple but the idols of Lord Vishnu were later in the sanctum sanctorum.

The Narayanpal Temple is a magnificent monument of the splendor of the Chindak Nagvanshi kings in Bastar.

An inscription in the temple reveals that even thousands of years ago, the residents of Bastar helped the kings in the construction of the temple by donating money.

Narayanpal Temple is only 40 kms away from the divisional headquarters of Bastar, and the construction style architecture is also unique.

The temple is the proof of Bastar’s serpentine architecture, the history of this sanctum sanctorum built in 1111 will surprise you.

These kings built Narayanpal Temple

Temple of red stone.

Also, this temple is about 70 feet high.

but, built by Nagvanshi Naresh Jagdek Bhushan’s Vishnu devotee queen with the inspiration of Someshwar Dev.

At the same time, a village Narayanpur also near the temple, which later became Narayanpal.

This temple and the village were of Vishnu on the day of Kartik Purnima in the year 1111.

Thirteen idols are neglected

Thousands of years old idol of Lord Adinath has been found in the field of village Buturam in village Kurushpal adjacent to Narayanapal.

The villagers have built the temple with the help of Jain followers of Sonarpal.

There is a village Tirtha near Narayanpal.

Thirteen idols, including an 11th-century Gajalakshmi, lie neglected in the forest of East Temra, just four km from Narayanpal. Similarly, in the fort of Bodragarh, many rare statues including the rare Lajjagauri are lying neglected.

The Archaeological Department is aware of this, but they currently do not have any project to protect them.

The Archaeological Departments of the Central and State Governments are doing nothing for the safety of these idols.

Protected under the Relic Act 1958

Confirmation of public cooperation, there is an inscription about eight feet high inside the Narayanpal temple, in which besides Shivling, sun-moon, the figure of cow and calf has also been engraved.

The inscription has been engraved in the construction of the temple, which people of the nearby villages had helped the king in the construction of the temple.

Now this temple is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India, Government of India under the Ancient Temple Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act 1958.

How to reach Narayanpal Temple

It is very easy to reach Narayanpal temple, you can go by air, rail, or road according to your convenience.

By Air

Bastar has its airport with the state government as part of the UDAN program.

Currently, AIRODISHA operates flights between Jagdalpur and Raipur, as well as Jagdalpur and Visakhapatnam.

The nearest airport is Raipur, which is about 300 km from Bastar.

By Railway

Jagdalpur, the district headquarters of Bastar district.

So, its connection railway to Visakhapatnam and Raipur.

East Coast Railway operates Jagdalpur railway station.

The following trains run from Jagdalpur: Visakhapatnam-Kirandul Passenger (58501), Durg-Jagdalpur Express (18211), Howrah-Koraput Express (18005), Hirakhand Express (18448), and Visakhapatnam-Jagdalpur (Night Express).