Devarani and Jethani Temple at Tala, Ameri Kampa, Chattisgarh

Chattisgarh has always been a place which I used to see through newspapers and news channels. For us it was a place where Naxalites live, a place which is not hospitable for outside people and the state in its not so developed form. 

What travelling does to you is it thrashes such delusions! 

The state I visited was full of life and elegant. We went there to explore Historical aspects of the land and what we found was a great pleasure to heart and soul. In this series, I will try to cover places we visited. There were caves, treks, museums and most importantly magnificent temples. 

We started our journey from Raipur and decided to visit a Heritage site called “Tala” located in Ameri Kampa village. The town is approximately 25-30 km from Bilaspur and 90 km from Raipur. 

This entire region was once called ‘Dakshin Kosala.’ The land was so important that we can find its mentions in the Indian epics - Ramayana and Mahabharata. Around 1500 years ago Sharabhpuriya dynasty ruled this land. It is the same dynasty who raised these beautiful and magnanimous temples. Devrani and Jethani temples are dedicated to lord Shiva and situated on the banks of Maniari river. When we enter the state protected premises the very first temple we see is Jethani temple. 

 

This temple is completely in ruins but the remaining pillars, huge sculptures, plinth construction and surrounding area gives us an idea about how grand it would have been. Plinth constructed using bricks is evident and there are three entrances leading to the Mandapa or gathering hall of Jethani temple. The main entrance has vast stairs leading inside. 

 

The heavily adorned pillars are still there. Pot like designs at the bottom, demigods on the top and middle part with intricate carvings catches our eye. Many broken sculptures dedicated to different aspects of Shiva are lying there. These sculptures are at least 7-8 feet tall. Sadly, the sanctum or Garbhagruha is completely destroyed. We climbed down the stairs on the right side and went to see what it was in the back. On the backside wall of Jethani temple we can see two life size heads of elephants. Even though they are 1500 years old and not at all in an outstanding condition; we could guess the details and efforts artists had put to carve these images in stone. 

Right next to it there is another wonderful temple, Devrani Temple. 

This temple is in much better condition than the prior one. Platform and outer walls are still there but sadly superstructure or Shikhara is missing. This temple has been built in two layers. The first layer takes us to the outer part of the temple for Pradakshina and the second layer leads us to the innermost part which is Mandapa and Garbhagruha. 

The doorframe of the Mandapa is splendid. The images of Ganga and Yamuna standing on the alligator and turtle respectively are carved on the bottom followed by the Dwarpalas or doorkeepers. The middle part is full of stories from various Puranas. The most imperative thing is on the top or on the lintel of this door frame. We can see images where a Devi is sitting on the lotus and elephants from both sides are pouring water on her head. This particular sculpture is known as Abhishek Lakshmi. This concept of affluence is so famous that different sects from Hinduism accepted it in their numerous art forms but the Jainism and Buddhist philosophy also accepted this concept.

 

The most significant sculpture is sealed right next to the stairs. This extremely rare sculpture is known as Mahashiv Rudra. This 9-feet-tall image is a very rare aspect of Mahadeva. Body parts of this Rudra are created by using different animals. The hairs are serpents, peacocks as ears, eyebrows and nose are created by using lizards and chin is a crab.

This stunning sculpture itself is another topic for a blog.

 My journey in Chattisgarh started with this remarkable surprise. After Tala, a small town called Devpahiri in Korba district was our next destination. Stayed in school, did a trek of almost 20 km in a dense forest and what not! Stay tuned for more. See you soon! 

Indraneel Bankapure

heritagevirasat@gmail.com