Ratanpur Fort Bilaspur : Ratanpur Fort is located in Bilaspur district of Chhattisgarh state. Ratanpur Fort is also known as Gaj Fort and Hathi Fort. Ratanpur city is famous all over the world for religious tourist places. The number of temples in Ratanpur city is so much that it is impossible to visit all these temples in one day.
The distance of Ratanpur from Bilaspur is about 25 kilometers. All the tourists coming to Bilaspur always have a desire to see Ratanpur. Ratanpur Fort is a historical fort.
रतनपुर का किला , बिलासपुर | Ratanpur Kila in Hindi, Bilaspur
History – Ratanpur Fort Bilaspur
Ratanpur is a place which is known as Chaturyugi Puri. Chaturyugi Puri means a city which is mentioned in all four yugas. Ratanpur is considered to be a city that exists since ancient times. Description of this place is found in all four eras. The four yugas described in Hindu religious texts are Satyayuga, Treta, Dwapar and Kaliyuga. It is believed that in Satyayuga its name was called Manipur, in Tretayuga Ratanpur was known as Manikpur, The name of Ratanpur in Dwapar Yuga was Hirapur and in Kalyug i.e. at present it is known as Ratanpur city.
Ancient City Ratanpur
Ratanpur is also associated with the time of Mahabharata period. Ratanpur has a huge pond named Krishnarjuni Pond, named after Lord Krishna and Arjuna.
Mythology – Ratanpur
According to the mythological story prevalent here, Maharaja Yudhishthir organized Ashwamedha Yagya. The king performing Ashvamedha Yagya used to leave a horse free as a symbol of his kingdom and this horse used to roam across the borders of different states. If someone allowed that horse to enter his kingdom, it meant that the kingdom had accepted the subordination of the king who performed Ashwamedha Yagya. If anyone stopped that horse within the water limit or tried to catch it, he would have to fight with the army that would come after the horse.
After becoming the king, when Yudhishthir organized the Ashwamedha Yagya, he left a horse as a symbol of his kingdom. His horse stopped to drink water on the banks of a pond located here. At that time, King Mordhwaj was ruling here. King Mordhwaj’s son Tamradhwaj captured the horse of Ashwamedha Yagya. He also had a fight with Arjun and his army who were following him on the horse. When Arjun asked Lord Krishna about Tamradhwaj, he told Arjun about the charity and devotion of King Mordhwaj.
Arjun could not believe it and asked Lord Krishna to prove it. Lord Krishna took Arjun in the guise of a sage and Yamraj in the guise of a lion and took him to King Mordhwaj and told the king that the lion was hungry and asked for the king’s son Tamradhwaj as food. The king had cut the body of his son Tamradhwaj and placed it in front of the lion and Arjun had become unconscious after seeing it cut. When Arjun asked Lord Krishna about Tamradhwaj, he told Arjun about the charity and devotion of King Mordhwaj.
Kalchuri Dynasty – Ratanpur
Ratanpur was once ruled by the Kalchuri dynasty, which lasted for the longest period. The fort of Ratanpur was built between the 10th and 12th centuries. It is believed that the Kalachuri dynasty ruled in the 11th century i.e. 1050 AD and their capital at that time was Tumman.
According to historians, the glorious king Kamalraj ruled here in the 10th century. He defeated Mahasen Gupta, the king of Eastern Kaushal, in the battle. After him, Ratanraj sat on the throne, who was the son of King Kamalraj and the grandson of King Kalinga Raj. King Ratanraj was a very art loving king.
King Ratanraj who conquered Chhattisgarh is considered the real founder of the Kalachuri dynasty. Earlier the capital of Kalachuri dynasty was Tumman.
Maratha Rule – Ratanpur
After the 17th century, the Maratha dynasty was established here whose first king was Raja Bimba Ji Bhonsle. He got the construction work of a court done. Ramteri Temple and Sangameshwar Temple were built by Raja Bimba Ji Bhonsle in the 18th century.
Raja Bimba ji Bhosale had three queens. After the death of King Bimba ji Bhosale, one of his queens committed sati with him and the other queen went to the forest due to extreme grief. His third queen, named Anandibai, took over the rule. He got the construction work of Lakshmi Narayan Temple and Khandoba Temple done.
After the 18th century, British rule was established here and they shifted their capital from Ratanpur to New Raipur.
Ratanpur Fort
Ratanpur Fort (Gaj Fort) was constructed between the 10th and 12th centuries. Many ancient sculptures are also present in the fort and many temples are also within its limits. Raja Ratan Dev was a very art loving king and the carvings done on the main gate of the fort give proof of this.
Gates – Ratanpur Fort
Ratanpur Fort is also known as Hathi Fort, this fort is surrounded by moats on all sides. There are four gates in this fort, which include Singh Dwar, Ganesh Dwar, Bhairav Dwar and Semdwar. On the left side of the lion gate, there are statues of Gandharvas, Kinnars, Apsaras and Gods and Goddesses along with Dashanan Ravana cutting off his head and dedicating it to God.
Kuberpur as Ratanpur
Ratanpur was also called Kuberpur. King Ratanraj had built many ponds here. For this reason there was never any shortage of water in Ratanpur. Ratanpur was once known as the city of tanks.
It is said that King Ratnadev I had constructed 1200 ponds at that time due to which very good crops were grown there as there was no shortage of water at that time. Because of which Ratanpur was considered a prosperous Shali area. That is why this city was also known as Kuberpur.
Ratanpur is also called a group of temples within which a large number of temples are famous, among which Mahamaya Temple, Baba Bhairav Nath Temple, Bhuteshwar Lord Shiva Temple, Ekvira Temple, etc. are prominent.
Ratanpur Fort – Temples
There are mainly two temples established in the Ratanpur Fort complex. One of these is Jagannath Temple and the other is Lakshmi Narayan Temple.
Presently Ratanpur Fort is under the care of the Archaeological Department of India and is being maintained like a beautiful park/garden. Now only a few parts of the historical fort can be seen here and most of the fort is only a remnant of its old glory.
Ratanpur Tourist Attractions
Ratanpur is a famous tourist city. Apart from the historical buildings located here, this city is also known for its ancient and unique temples. Other famous tourist places here are Badal Mahal, Ramteri Temple, Hanuman Temple, Tulja Temple, Khanduja Temple and famous Dargah.
Mahamaya Temple located in Ratanpur is a famous Siddhapeetha.
Ratanpur – Mahamaya Devi Mandir
The temple of Mahamaya Devi has become the identity of Ratanpur. This temple is recognized as a Shaktipeeth. The idol of Lord Shiva is present at the main entrance of Mahamaya temple.
According to the mythological story, after the death of Mother Sati, when Lord Shankar became distressed, he started performing Tandav in the entire universe with the dead body of the mother. At that time, to free Lord Shiva from this suffering, Lord Vishnu cut the dead body into pieces with his chakra and wherever those parts fell, the same places became Shaktipeeths. It is believed that the right shoulder of Mata Sati had fallen in the Mahamaya temple due to which it was named as Komari Shaktipeeth.
Around 1050 AD, King Ratan Dev I had come to Manipur village for hunting, where after feeling very tired, he rested at night under a banyan tree. Then when the king opened his eyes at midnight, he saw a supernatural light under the banyan tree and got the darshan of the Goddess, due to which he had lost his senses. Next morning King Ratan Dev I went to the capital. It is believed that he got the construction work of Shri Mahamaya Devi temple done.
There is a crowd of devotees here throughout the year. Especially during Navratri days, the crowd here is worth seeing. Thousands of devotees gather here during Navratri.
Best time to Visit Ratanpur Fort
The best time to visit Ratanpur is from February October to April. The weather here remains very hot from May to September. A special fair is organized in Ratanpur on Magh Purnima. This fair is organized once a year in the month of February which is one of the major fairs of Chhattisgarh. People come from far and wide to visit the fair here. Many swings and exhibitions are organized in the fair.
How to reach Ratanpur
Ratanpur The nearest airport is Raipur, the capital of Chhattisgarh. The distance from Raipur to Ratanpur is approximately 140 kilometers which can be covered by state transport bus, taxi or rented vehicle.
If you are traveling by train then the nearest station to Ratanpur is Bilaspur which is located at a distance of about 25 kilometers from here.
If you are traveling by road then you can reach Ratanpur by state transport bus.
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