The ecstatic memory of the caves was still fresh in our minds when we reached another famous tourist destination, which was the holy Danteshwari temple, Chhattisgarh. It was located at a distance of around 84 kilometres from the city of Jagdalpur and was famous because of Maa Danteshwari, who was the local’s goddess. We learnt that people of Chhattisgarh scattered in different parts of the world worship the same goddess. The place was extremely quiet and holy and pilgrims keep visiting the place because of their strong belief for Goddess Danteshwari. We could see that the locals believed that the temple had lots of divine and spiritual powers. During Dashami or Dushera, the local tribes and inhabitants of the surrounding villages paid tribute to the Goddess.
Danteswari Temple Chhattisgarh | Image Resource : greatindianjourney.wordpress.com/tag/danteshwari-temple-chhattisgarh/
The temple was situated on the banks of the rivers Shankini and Dhankini and was believed to be six hundred years old. The temple was the ideal symbol of the rich, social and cultural history of the state. It was rich in its tradition and the inscriptions and sculptures were ancient; they resembled the different forms of art, which were famous in the ancient ages. The temple formed the spiritual centre for the people in those times.
The Danteshwari temple, Chhattisgarh was associated with various stories from the past and because of the strong belief, we saw followers from different parts of the country visiting the temple along with us. We were told that it becomes quite difficult to control the huge crowd during the festive seasons. After offering our prayers to the Goddess and learning about the rich history associated with the temple, we too felt blessed. I even chatted with a member of a local tribe and she helped me in gathering information about the history of the temple. I also understood the reasons for the immense belief of the people in the Goddess. A large number of different stalls were set up in the area surrounding the temple, especially during Dushera or Dashami. Our time in Chattisgarh was slowly coming to an end and each one of us was visibly impressed by the state.
Vivacious Anushri 