Deobalod (Chhattisgarh)

Travel on NH 6 from Raipur to Durg, about three km from Bhilai, and come upon Deobalod, a hamlet. Weave your way through narrow alleyways of a sleepy, nondescript village to come upon the little-known 11th-century red sandstone temple of Shiva, perhaps the oldest temple honouring this deity in Chhattisgarh. It stands desolate. Yet, the edifice has about it a certain sense of majesty that is difficult to resist. Much of the exterior walls of the temple are sculpted upon with the pantheon of Hindu deities, warriors, dancing men and women and animals, particularly elephants and horses, each carved with its unique identity.

A weather-beaten Nandi greets us at the entrance to the temple that has a 13-m-deep pond adjoining it. Legend has it that the pond has an underground passageway to Aarang, another old town close to Raipur, the state capital. It is obvious that the temple must have had a grand tower in its days of glory. The sanctum sanctorum, located below ground level, houses a Shivling, which is still worshipped. Exquisitely sculpted pillars arranged in two rows of five each, hold aloft the mandap or hall leading to the sanctum. Also, hop over to Bhilai’s beautifully lands caped Maitri Bagh. The musical fountain, toy train and artificial waterfalls are crowd-pullers. Within a radius of 60 km from Deobalod, one may visit Tandula Dam, the Ganga Maiya Temple

at Jhalrnala, Patan, particularly known for its fire lake, the Kaiwalya Jam Temple and the Jam shrine at Nagpura. 

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