Madku-dweep
(A
blog by Jitendra Nakka)
Introduction
The
Bilaspur division of Chhattisgarh is well embraced by lush green forest, hilly
areas in the north, and great ancient history. When we talk about ancient
history, there are few places in this division, which can astonish you to its
extreme, as how that would have happened in the past. One such place is Madku-dweep.
Pic: Front (Left side) view of temples
Situated
near calm and silent river Shivnath, Madku dweep is an island of spellbinding
beauty with full of greenery. It has an area of around 24 ha and is extremely
picturesque. The island of Madku-dweep resembles the shape of a frog (Mandku),
hence got its name.
Where
and How to reach?
Madku
dweep is situated 25kms far from Bilaspur towards Raipur in NH-130 (old
NH-200). It’s nearly 79kms far from Raipur. The nearest railway stations are
Bilaspur, Bhatapara and Raipur. And nearest airport is Raipur. Madku-dweep is
approachable throughout the year but as it is situated near the bank of River
Shivnath and is approachable through Annicut Bridge through Sargaon Village
which is nearly 15-20kms from Madku-dweep.
Pic: Site Location of Madku Dweep (Source: Maps of India)
One
more way is through Village Baithalpur, which, too, is on NH-130
(Raipur-Bilaspur Highway) and is just 4kms away from Madku Dweep.
For
boarding and lodging, one can take hotels and motels in Bilaspur, which is the
nearest big city and a no. of hotels are there, which provide attractive
tourist packages for the nearby tourist places.
Importance:
Historical
and Archeological Importance:
According
to Archaeologists, this place is famous for various facts:
( (1) Here pre-historic stone tools have been
discovered and has been reported in India Epigraphy 1959-60 report.
( (2) Here, two stone inscriptions have been found,
where one is in Bramhi script and is of 3rd Century B.C.
mentioning the name of Akshaya Nidhi and other one is in Shankha
Script.
Religious
Importance:
This
place is a unique identity for a name called religious harmony. As this place
is very famous for the ancient idols of Lord Shiva, Ganesha, Shiv-Parvati,
Nandi and many other Gods, there are few new temples also built here which
are equally worshipped by the devotees. Religiously, as this place is in the
middle of river, it is also renowned as Kedar Tirth and has got the
title of Harihar Kshetra Kedar Dweep.
In
the month of Paosh Purnima (Chera chera Punni), a 7 day fair is held
here. Similarly here Shiv-ratri and Hanuman Jayanti is also celebrated with
great devotion.
One
more fact which shows the communal and religious harmony of this area is that
just beside the archeological excavation of Madku-dweep, Christians too gather
for a huge fair every year in the month of February during 10th-18th.
Art
and Sculpture:
Archeologist
went through extensive excavation in this place, and happened to have unearthed
19 ancient temples. Strange is the fact that among these temples, 18 temples
are directed towards east direction and one temple (middle one) is directed to
west direction. The style of temples and statues formation(including idols of Shivlinga,
Ganesh, Shiv Parvati) is quite similar to that of Great Kalchuris.
Pic: Statue of Uma-Maheshwar
Pic: Statue of Lord Shri Ganesha
Pic: Site Location with Author
Pic: Front (Left side) view of temples
Pic: Front (Right side) view of temples
Pic: Front Back View of temples
After
mush research, it was concluded that a mighty overhead flood submerged the
whole series of temples in 1.5-2m below ground level.
Conclusion:
Here
near the bank of Shivnath, there are a lot of relics which are still to be
explored, but this is just the beginning. This temple comes under Archeological
Survey of India and still hides a great past, a great mystery to be revealed.
The basic need is to go for more analyzed research. Here nearby, you can also
visit the temples of Tala.
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