Chaiturgarh Fort Chattisgarh : Chaiturgarh Fort is located in the state of Chhattisgarh. Chhattisgarh means group of 36 forts. This fort is considered to be one of the strongest natural forts in India. Chaiturgarh Fort is one of the main tourist destinations of Korba district which is located at a distance of about 70 kilometers from the district headquarters. Chaiturgarh Fort is situated on a hilltop at an altitude of 3000 meters above sea level. Chaiturgarh Fort is among the highest peaks of the Maikal mountain range.
The famous 36 kg Chaitur Garh fort of Chhattisgarh is built with an impenetrable rocky natural walls. Only a few walls of this fort have been built by humans.
चैतुरगढ़ का किला | Chaiturgarh ka Kila in Hindi
Chaiturgarh – Kashmir of Chattisgarh
Chaiturgarh is also called Kashmir of Chhattisgarh. Just by looking at it we can imagine how beautiful this place has been. The sound of the waterfalls coming in rhythmic tune, the natural beauty completely decorated with greenery and this place which is currently irrigated by the grace of Mother Mahishasur Mardini attracts the attention of the tourists coming here.
Due to the historical temple of Maa Mahishasur Mardini being at a height, the temperature here never exceeds 30 degrees.
History – Chaiturgarh Fort Chattisgarh
This historical fort is highly famous for its natural environment and architecture. Chaiturgarh Fort is a fort which is known by 2 names. Chaiturgarh Fort or Lafagarh Fort. Its distance from Lafagarh city called Pali is about 19 kilometers. Today the fort is a monument protected by the Archaeological Survey of India.
Chamadahara, Tindhari and Shringi waterfalls are situated in this Maikal mountain range. Jatashankari river originates from this Maikal mountain range. Jatashankari river is known as a tributary of Hasdev. Going further up the river, Tumman Khol is found which was the initial capital of Kalchuri.
Chaiturgarh Fort Construction
Chaiturgarh Fort was built by Prithvi Dev I. At that time Lafagarh had a very important place from its political and strategic point of view. According to historians, this fort was built in Kalchuri Samvat 821 i.e. 1069.
Gates – Chaiturgarh Fort
Chaiturgarh Fort has three main entrance gates which present beautiful workmanship and carvings of the Kalachuri period. The names of these entrance gates are as follows: The first gate is Singhdwar, the name of the second gate is Menaka Dwar and the third gate is Humkara Dwar.
Five Ponds – Chaiturgarh Fort
The 5 ponds here are also the main attractions of Chaiturgarh Fort. Out of these five ponds, there are 3 ponds which are always full of water. The names of these three ponds are as follows: The first pond is known as Gargaj Pond, the second is known as Dry Pond and the third is known as Crab Pond. The names of the remaining two ponds are Bhukhi Dabri Pond and Sindhi Pond. Despite being on such a high hill, the Maikal mountain range, the ponds found here are a miracle in themselves.
Chaiturgarh hill has small waterfalls and hills which add to the beauty of this fort.
Mahishasur Mardini Temple – Chaiturgarh Fort
There is a special temple of Mata Mahishasur Mardini situated at an altitude of 3000 meters at Chaiturgarh place in Chhattisgarh. This temple was built by the Kalachuri rulers. This idol of Mahishasur Mardini Devi has 12 hands and this idol of Mahishasur Mardini Mata is installed in the sanctum sanctorum. It is said that this temple was renovated by Baan Banshi Raja Maldev in the 17th century.
Chaiturgarh still has special importance due to the Mahishasur Mardini temple located here, which has kept this Chaiturgarh fort a vibrant fort even today. It is said that once during the journey when King Prithvi Dev Pratham was resting, the goddess herself appeared to him in a dream and expressed her desire to build a temple here.
It is also said that Mother Durga rested here for some time after killing Mahishasura. It is said that Mata Mahishasurmardini is present here even today in her living form. According to people, it is said that if one gazes at the beautiful statue of Mata, then it appears as if the goddess has blinked her eyes.
Nagar Style Construction
Mahishasura Mardini temple is built in Nagara style. In this temple, according to the Nagara style, the main land is kept in a rectangular form in the middle of which there are successive vimanas on both the sides. There is a peak at the top of the temple and this peak is called Rekha Shikhar.
There is also a Sabha Mandal in the temple which has 16 pillars and along with this Sabha Mandal there is also an entrance gate with four pillars from where the Garbha Graha can be reached. A 12 handed idol of Mata has been installed in Mahishasura Mardini temple. And around this temple, idols of Lord Kaal Bhairav, Lord Shani Dev and Lord Hanuman along with other deities have been placed.
Special puja is organized here during Navratri. In the special puja, there is a provision to worship the king first and the landlords later. Even today, there is a gathering of local people as well as people coming from other states.
Shankar Cave
Near the temple, at a distance of about 3 kilometers, there is also a cave of Lord Shankar, which is called Shankar Khol Cave. Whose entrance is so small that only one person at a time can go inside to have darshan of Lord Shiva. Lord Shankar Cave looks like a tunnel and this cave is about 25 feet long. Due to the cave being very narrow from inside, one can get out of the cave by crawling or sitting on the knees.
According to mythology, it is said that when Lord Shiva and Bhasmasur fought, both of them came here, since then Shivalinga is installed inside the cave and an eternal flame is lit here daily. If you climb the hill above this cave, Maneka temple can also be seen from there.
How to reach Chaiturgarh
To reach Chaiturgarh, one can reach Swami Vivekananda International Airport Raipur and from here one can go to Korba by cab. The distance from here to Korba is about 200 kilometers.