Raipur

Raipur is the capital city of the state of Chhattisgarh. Kalchuri King, Ram Chandra, was the founder of the place in the later part of the 14th century.  For quite sometime it was the capital of the Haihaya rulers. Although it used to be a rural, tribal region, along with the gradual passage of time, the city has flown with the tide and has an urban culture prevailing with all modern amenities of a developed city. . It is a flourishing center of rich natural resources. Endowed with the Chhattisgarh plains and the hills, Raipur takes pride in its natural vista – the lush green woods, cluster of hills, soothing surroundings with a rich bequest of flora and fauna and above all, the tribal societies dwelling in this area. It is mainly a tribal inhabited area who leads their lives in traditional styles. These tribal societies comprise the segment of people who understand the meaning of living together and join hands to work together to achieve any shared interest to cater to the needs of their society. Every society has its own set of rules with respect to business and commerce. These augment and strengthen their unity to live and toil collectively as one. The tribal groups although have undertaken various forms of odd jobs at present, yet their basic livelihood depend on hunting and cultivation. In the past eras, the tribal land areas were never analyzed and they did not lead a settled life. The tribal people carried out shifting cultivation, taking into consideration that they were the possessors of the natural resources like the river water, forest trees and the lush green lands. This practice of self cultivation still continues in the contemporary times. Paddy is the chief crop grown here. The chief tribal communities seen here are the Parghi, Savra, Manji, and Bhayna. Raipur has a rich cultural lineage. The tribal sects take equal interests in dance and music. Few of the popular dance styles common among them are the Panthi, Raut Nacha Karma and Soowa. The traditional folk songs and ballets which steal a listener’s heart are Padki and Pandwani. The major attractions of this area are the Lakshman Temple and Gandheshwar Temple situated at Sirpur, an hour drive from Raipur. The former is considered to be one of the most excellent brick temples of India, with fine carvings and accurate structure. Various symbols and carvings on the walls on either side depict tales and events related to Hindu mythology and Gods like Lord Vishnu, Shiva and Krishna. The temple has a shelter (mandap), passage (antraal) and the main house (garbha griha).It also has a unique collection of figurines and relics related to Jainism, Buddhism, Shaiva and Vaishnava. While the Gandheshwar Temple is an ancient, arty Shiva temple constructed on the banks of river Mahanadi was built from the remnants of the old vihars and temples. The entrance is decked with glimpses of Shiva Leela. Inside it there are statues of the various incarnations of Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu and a statue of Buddha touching the earth. On the other hand Rajim, 30 minutes from Raipur, once the city centre, houses a cluster of temples, the main one – the Rajivalochana temple - being dedicated to Lord Vishnu.