Raipur, Chattisgarh – The capital city of Chattisgarh is of great historical significance and an important industrial and commercial destination

The capital city of Chattisgarh, Raipur is located at the centre of a large plain also referred to as the “rice bowl of India”. Raipur district is important from the historical and archaeological point of view. This district was once part of southern Kosal and considered to be under Maurya Kingdom. Raipur city had been the capital of the Haihaya Dynasty Kalchuri kings, controlling the traditional forts of the Chhattisgarh for a long time. King Ramachandra’s son Brahmdeo Rai had established Raipur and hence it was named as Raipur using his surname. The Mahanadi River flows to the east of the city of Raipur, and the southern side is covered with dense forests. Located centrally in Chhattisgarh, the traditional city has evolved to become an important regional industrial and commercial destination.

Places to see in Raipur: There are a number of sight seeing location in Raipur. These include:

Doodhadhari Temple

Located in the southern region of Raipur near Burha Talab, an ancient temple dedicated to Lord Ram, built by King Jait Singh in 17th century stands with its elaborate carvings. An ancient River Maharaj bandh flows by this landmark. There is also a monastery, named after Swami Balbhadra Das who survived only on ‘Doodh’ (milk) as his food.

Mahamaya Temple

Located in the old fort area of Raipur on the banks of the River Kharoon, a temple dedicated to Devi Mahamaya, another name of Hindu Goddess Durga or Mahishasurmardini, attracts tourists and devotees from all over the Chhattisgarh region.

Ramakrishna Mission

The Ramakrishna Mission Raipur was established in the year 1957. Inside the premise you will find a Ramakrishna Mandir, Math, library, and also different offices of Ramakrishna Mission. The evening arati in Ramakrishna Mission is worth.

Burha Talab

Burha Talab is the largest lake in Raipur city. The beauty of the lake lies in its island situated in the middle of the lake, laced with green trees and gardens.

Gandhi Udhyan

One of the oldest parks of Raipur, Gandhi Udhyan is situated next to the Chief Minister’s residence. This park has recently been renovated.

Shadani Darwar

Located about 10 km from Raipur railway station and only 4 km from the Airport, on the Dhamtari road, Shadani Darbar has beautiful engraved images of gods and avatars (incarnations) that can be seen on the either side of the wall.

Mahant Ghasidas Memorial Museum

A large collection of ancient inscriptions, images, coins, sculptures of historical importance are displayed in this museum.

Shaheed Smarak Complex

An exceptionally conceptualized architectural marvel – a memorial to freedom fighters, comprises of a huge auditorium, library, museum and an art gallery, located in the heart of the Raipur city.

Maha Kaushal Art Gallery

One of the most important tourist attractions in Raipur is an octagonal shaped art gallery situated near D.K. Hospital exhibiting grabbing art works of the locals.

Budhapara Lake

One of the prime tourist attractions in Raipur built by the Kalchuri emperor King Brahmadeo, Budhapara Lake is a magnificent lake and a beautiful picnic spot.

Vivekanand Ashram

Vivekanand Asram is a place of spiritual enlightenment and a branch of Swami Vivekananda mission inaugurated in 1897.

Nearby attractions around Chattisgarh: From Raipur you can make excursions to places like:

Rajim

It is a religious place situating at 48 km. from Raipur. Rajim is known as the “Prayag” of the Chhattisgarh because it is situated at the meeting point of the Mahanadi, Pairi and Sondur rivers. An ancient temple of Lord Kuleshwar of 14-15 th century is also here. Other famous temples are Temple of Rajivlochan and Rajeshwar temple . Rajivlochan temple , having idol of four handed Lord Vishnu has two ‘Shilalekhs’ which are of 8-9 th century.

Sirpur

It is a historical place situating at 84 km. from Raipur. It was the capital of ‘South Kosal’ from 5th to 8th century. It was an important centre of Bauddha religion from 6th to 10th century. In the 7th century, Whensang from China has came here. Main attractive places are Lakshman temple made of bricks and Anand Prabhu Kutir Vihar.

Arang

Situating on Sambalpur road, at 36 km from Raipur. Arang is an old city. It is also developing as a tourist place due to it’s ancient temples. Some famous temples are Bhandadeval temple, Baghdeval temple and Mahamaya temple. Bhandadeval temple, which is of 11-12th century, is a beautiful example of architecture. This temple has three huge idols made of black stone of Jain Tirthankars. Mahamaya temple has also three huge idols of Jain Tirthankars and a huge stone having all 24 Tirthankars. Other visitable places are Danteshwari temple, Chandi Maheshwari temple, Panchamukhi Mahadev and Panchamukhi hanumman temple.

Things to do in Raipur: Sight seeing is the best thing you can do in Raipur. Make a visit to the temples in the vicinity, or the old fort which stands like a sentinel guarding the town. In the evenings take a stroll along the lovely lakes that dot the town and then head out for shopping of hand crafted arte-facts and textiles to take back home.

Best time to visit Raipur: The best time for a visit Raipur is during the winter season between the months of October to February/March when the climate is pleasant.

How to go ?

By Air

Flights to Raipur will be available regularly, and the city houses one of the most important airports in the state – the Raipur airport. This airport has frequent flights to many destinations (locally) including Delhi, Kolkata, Indore and Bhopal. Flights will also be available to Nagpur, Ahmedabad, Bhubaneshwar and Hyderabad.

By Train

Trains to the city of Raipur can be taken from Delhi, Nagpur, Mumbai and other cities like Chennai and Bhubaneshwar. From Kolkata, trains like Mumbai mail, Azad Hind Express, Ahmedabad Express etc. halts at Raipur.

By Road

Raipur is well connected to all cities of Chattisgarh and also other major cities in the country via regular buses.

Where to stay ?

You can find a no. of nice hotels and resorts in Raipur. Some options are:

Hotel Grand Arjun: +91-0771-2224301, 02, 03, 04, 4280301 Website:www.hotelgrandarjun.com
Hotel Radhika: +91-077122 33806
Hotel Chattisgarh: www.chhattisgarhtourism.net
Hotel Celebration: +91-0771-4092990,91,92,93,94,95 Website: www.celebrationworld.in

Note : Phone numbers given above are according to the information available with us. If you find any contact number/s given above is/are incorrect or not in use, please let us know.