Archaeological Sites of Chhattisgarh

Prerequisites

• Prehistoric Sites and Rock Art: the Raigarh rock shelters and Karkabhat megaliths in detail
• Panduvanshi Dynasty of Sirpur: who ruled from Sirpur and when
• Mauryan and Satavahana Period: Ramgarh, Gunji, Kirari and early Malhar

The Hook: A City Under the Paddy Fields

Why it matters: Prelims pairs a site with its district, river, period or find (“Devrani-Jethani temples are at ___”). Mains GS-IV asks about heritage as part of the state’s social identity and the conservation–tourism balance.

The Big Picture: Four Layers of the Past

graph LR
    N["NORTH
Ramgarh caves (Surguja)
Maheshpur, Dipadih"] --> C["CENTRE: Mahanadi plain
Sirpur, Arang, Rajim, Tala, Malhar, Tarighat"]
    E["EAST
Singhanpur, Kabra Pahad (Raigarh)"] --> C
    C --> S["SOUTH: Bastar
Barsur, Narayanpal, Dantewada"]

Prehistoric Sites

• Singhanpur (सिंघनपुर) and Kabra Pahad (कबरा पहाड़), both near Raigarh: rock shelters with paintings in red ochre of animals, hunting scenes and human figures. Raigarh district is the state’s richest rock-art area; the first painted shelters there were reported in 1910.
• Karkabhat (करकाभाट), Balod: a large megalithic burial field with stone circles and menhirs, dated broadly to the 1st millennium BCE.
• These are covered in detail in Prehistoric Sites and Rock Art. For tourism, they matter as heritage-trail sites, not mass destinations.

Early Historic Sites

Ramgarh Hill: Jogimara and Sitabenga (Surguja)

Malhar (Bilaspur)

• Malhar (मल्हार), in Bilaspur district, is one of the state’s longest-occupied sites: a fortified mound with a sequence running from before the Mauryan period into the medieval period.
• Finds include an early four-armed Vishnu image (placed about the 2nd century BCE), coins and seals.
• Medieval temples stand beside the mound: the Pataleshwar (Kedareshwar) temple of the Kalachuri period and the Didneshwari Devi temple.
• Some historians propose Malhar as the unidentified Sharabhpuriya capital Sharabhapura; this is a hypothesis, not settled fact.

Tarighat (Durg)

• Tarighat (तरीघाट) lies on the bank of the Kharun river in Durg district.
• Excavations by the state archaeology department in the 2010s exposed an early historic settlement with mounds, coins, seals, sealings, terracotta figures, pottery and a thick burnt layer.
• Exam material dates its main occupation to the last centuries BCE; treat precise dates as provisional, since the excavation reports are still being studied.

Other early historic finds (recap)

Early Medieval Capitals and Temple Towns

Tala: Devrani-Jethani (Bilaspur)

• Tala (ताला), on the Maniyari river in Bilaspur district, has two ruined stone temples called Devrani-Jethani (देवरानी-जेठानी), generally dated to about the 5th–6th century CE (Sharabhpuriya period).
• Its most famous find is a large, unusual Rudra Shiva (रुद्र शिव) image, built up from animal and human forms (a lizard, a crocodile, peacocks, faces on the body).
• Tala is a favourite Prelims answer because it is stone and early, in contrast with Sirpur’s brick Lakshman temple.

Sirpur (Mahasamund): the Big Excavation

Arang (Raipur)

• Arang (आरंग), on the Mahanadi in Raipur district, is called a temple town.
• Bhand Deval (भांड देवल) is a Jain temple with images of Tirthankaras; Arang also has the Baghdevi and Mahamaya shrines.
• Two important copper plates are named after it: of Bhimasena II (Rajarshitulya kula) and of Jayaraja (Sharabhpuriya).

Barsur (Dantewada)

• Barsur (बारसूर), near the Indravati in Dantewada district, was a capital of the Chhindak Nagavanshis (छिंदक नागवंशी) of Bastar (11th–13th century).
• Monuments: Mama-Bhanja temple, Battisa temple (named for its 32 pillars), Chandraditya temple and large monolithic Ganesha images. Temple details are on Temples and Monuments.

Smaller sites worth one line

Where Heritage Is Displayed: Museums

Analysis: Archaeology, Identity and Tourism (Mains)

1. Evidence of a long civilisation: Ramgarh, Malhar and Tarighat show urban and literate life in the region well before the medieval kingdoms. This corrects the old picture of Chhattisgarh as only a “forest frontier”.
2. Composite culture: Sirpur and Arang show Hindu, Buddhist and Jain institutions living together, which is useful for GS-IV answers on tolerance and pluralism.
3. Tourism value: excavated sites become destinations (Sirpur Mahotsav, Rajim Kumbh Kalp), creating local jobs in guiding, transport and crafts.
4. Conservation challenges:
   • Fragile material: brick structures, such as those at Sirpur, erode in monsoon rain and river floods.
   • Encroachment and farming on unprotected mounds.
   • Theft and illegal trade of loose sculptures from remote sites.
   • Capacity: few trained conservators; many sites are protected by neither the ASI nor the state.
5. The way forward: systematic publication of excavation reports, site museums, community heritage guardians, and tourism planned to protect the site before it is promoted.

Memory Tricks

Don’t Confuse

Common Mistakes

Practice

These are original practice questions written in CGPSC style. They are not previous-year questions.

Level 1: Foundation

1. The Devrani-Jethani temples are at ________ in ________ district, on the ________ river.
2. The ancient name of Sirpur was ________; its brick Lakshman temple was built by Queen ________.
3. The Jogimara and Sitabenga caves are on ________ hill in ________ district.

Level 2: Prelims MCQs

Q1. Consider the following statements about Sirpur:

1. It lies in Mahasamund district on the bank of the Mahanadi.
2. Its Lakshman temple is built of stone and dedicated to Shiva.
3. Excavations there exposed Buddhist and Jain viharas as well as Brahmanical temples.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only (b) 1 and 3 only (c) 2 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3

Q2. Match List-I (Site) with List-II (District):

(a) A-2, B-4, C-1, D-3 (b) A-4, B-2, C-1, D-3 (c) A-2, B-4, C-3, D-1 (d) A-1, B-4, C-2, D-3

Q3. The cave on Ramgarh hill that is widely described as one of the oldest theatres in India is:

(a) Jogimara (b) Sitabenga (c) Kutumsar (d) Kabra Pahad

Q4. Bhand Deval at Arang is a temple of which tradition?

(a) Buddhist (b) Jain (c) Vaishnava (d) Shakta

Q5. Purkhouti Muktangan, an open-air museum of the tribal and folk life of Chhattisgarh, is located at:

(a) Jagdalpur (b) Bilaspur (c) Nava Raipur Atal Nagar (d) Ambikapur

Level 3: Mains Answer Writing

Q1. “Sirpur is a symbol of the composite culture of ancient Chhattisgarh.” Discuss. (150–200 words)

Q2. Identify the main challenges in conserving the archaeological heritage of Chhattisgarh and suggest measures. (60 words)

Quick Revision Table

Key Takeaways

What’s Next

• Temples and Monuments: the living temples, from Bhoramdeo to Danteshwari
• Art and Temples of the Regional Dynasties: Tala, Sirpur and Rajim in dynastic context
• Art, Architecture and Inscriptions of the Kalachuris: Malhar, Janjgir and Ratanpur
• Indian Art and Culture: national temple styles for comparison