Raipur

Raipur is the capital of the newly formed State of Chhattisgarh, carved out of Madhya Pradesh on 1st November 2000. The city believed to be founded in the 14th century AD by the Kalchuri King Ram Chandra is centrally located in Chattisgarh. Raipur is the biggest city of the region and a fast developing important industrial centre. The city lying on the Mumbai - Nagpur - Haora mainline, is well connected by air and rail and is a good base to visit the tourist centers of the region.

Excursion
Mahant Ghasidas Memorial Museum
Located near D.K.Hospital, the Museum was established in 1875 by Raja Mahant Ghasidas of Rajnandgaon. The museum records the major events in the town's history. It has two floors with five galleries. The first floor has objects related to nature and its history containing various mammals, Snakes, and birds. There is also a huge library here.

Doodhadhari Monastery and temple
The monastery and the temple is located in the southern part of Raipur city on the banks of an ancient river called Maharajbandh. This ancient temple dedicate to Lord Rama, was built in the mid of 17th century by King Jaitsingh. The temple has beautiful murals. The monastery was named after Swami Balbhadra Das who only had 'Doodh' (milk) as his food. Burials of the former Mahants can also be seen here.

Mahamaya Temple
Mahamaya temple is located in Raipur's old fort area near Maharajbandh temple. This temple originally belonging to the Kalchuri era has been renovated later. Nearby is the Samleswari temple dedicated to Goddess Samlai.

Hatkeswar Mahadev temple and Mahadev Ghat
The Mahadev ghat is located 5 kms from Raipur on the banks of river Kharun. The temple was built in 1402, by Hajiraj Naik during the rule of Bramhdeo Rai, son of the Kalchuri king Ramachandra. Brahmdeo Rai's monumental script in Sanskrit is still preserved at the Mahant Ghasidas memorial museum.

Mathpurena
In Mathpurena situated at one end of Raipur, a four handed sculpture of Lord Bramha belonging to the 8th century believed to be of Som dynasty has been found.

Budhapara lake
There are many lakes in Raipur. The biggest of them is the spectacular lake Budhapara, built around 1402, by Kalchuri emperor King Bramhdeo. Another lake of prominence is the Kho-kho lake. There are many beautiful parks also in Raipur city.

Champaran (Champajhar)
The village Champajhar now known as Champaran situated 60 Km from Raipur is famous as the birth place of Saint Vallabhacharya, the reformer and founder of the Vallabh Sect. There is a temple constructed in honour of Swamy Vallabhacharya and a temple of Champakeshwara Mahadeva. Two well furnished Dharmasalas are available for stay at Champaran. The birth anniversary of the saint is celebrated during April - May when large number of his followers assemble to pay homage. An annual fair is also held during January- February.

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Getting There
By Air
Raipur is connected by Air with Delhi-Bhubaneshwar, Bhopal,and Jabalpur. It is an important station of S.E. Railway on Mumbai, Nagpur-Calcutta Route. The National Highway 6 passes through the city and National Highway No.43 links it with Vijaya Nagaram.

By Road
All the important Towns of the Region like Bhilai (25 km), Durg(41 km), Jagadalpur (297 Km), Rajnandgaon(70 km), Bilaspur (115 km) Jabalpur (369 km) and Bhopal(712 km) are connected with Raipur by Road. Visitors can also go to Hirakud Dam near Sambalpur and Puri (Orissa) by Road for which Bus Service is available.

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