Kawardha

 temple, hotel, town, taluka headquarter, district headquarter

Tehsil Kawardha, District Kabirdham, Chhattisgarh.
Kawardha Population Census 2011 - 2021
# Town & Type Population
1 Kawardha (M + OG) 46657
1. History Of District Kabirdham:-
Excluding Tehsil Kawardha from District Rajnandgaon and Tehsil Pandariya from District Bilaspur then government of Madhya Pardesh constituted a new district specifying the head quarters at Kawardha which is presently known as (District Kabirdham) came into existence on July 06,1998.

Kabirdham is a peaceful and attractive place located on the Southern bank of river Sakri. Due to the advent of Kabir Sahib and the establishment of the seat of descendants of his disciple Dharmdas, it was named as Kabirdham. Before Damakhera, District Raipur,this was the seat of Kabir Panthis.

Presently known as tehsil Kabirdham included in District Kabirdham was as state Kawardha till the first half of 18th century. It came into existence as tehsil Kawardha in District Mandla from 1895 to 1902, in District Bilaspur from 1903 to 1911, in District Raipur from 1912 to 1948, in District Durg in 1948 and remained part of Durg upto 25/01/1973. After that from 26/01/1973 this Tehsil became part of Rajnandgaon upto July 05,1998 from the time of formation of District Rajnandgaon with the division of District Durg. Likewise, the second tehsil Pandariya included in the district was known as Pandariya Zamindari before 1952. In 1952 Pandariya become the community block Head-Quarters in District Bilaspur. It got the status of tehsil in 1986 and from then it remained part of District Bilaspur till July 05,1998.

Both the above tehsil Head-Quarters tehsil Kabirdham and Pandariya of District Kabirdham are important from historical point of view also. Not only Kabirdham but also the place Chaura and Chhapri located at about 17 Km. from Kabirdham, which is known as Bhoramdev,is a very important place historically and archeologically. This place was the capital of Nagvanshi kings from about 9th century to 14th century.After that this came under possession of Haihayvanshi kings who were related to state Ratanpur. The Archaelogical remains of the temple and old fort constructed by these kings are still available.


2. A midst the picturesque surroundings of Maikal mountains and dense forests, the perfect blend of religious and erotic sculptures, the Bhoramdeo temple, is carved on the rocky stones in the Nagar style. This temple was built in the period of 7th to 11th century A.D.

The Shiva Linga in the temple is beautifully carved and the artistic appeal beckons the visitors. The Bhoramdeo temple has a resemblance with the Sun temple of Konark and The Khajuraho temple , and that is why it is also called the Khajuraho of Chhattisgarh. The “Madwa Mahal” near the Bhoramdeo temple is another beautiful historic monument, worth seeing. Just one km. away from Bhoramdeo , Madwa Mahal is known as the memorial of the marriage of Nagwanshi king and Haihawanshi Queen. ‘Madwa’ is a word from the local dialect synonymous to marriage pandal.

Madwa Mahal was originally a Shiv temple but due its shape, like a marriage shamiyana, it is known as “Madwa Mahal”. It is also called Dullhadeo. Nagwanshi emperor Ramchandra Deo has built it in 1349 A.D. The Shiva Linga is inside the ‘Garbha Grih’ and the ‘Mandap rests upon 16 pillars’.

The erogenous idols of this temple are also extremely beautiful. On the outer walls there are as many as 54 erotic sculptures in different poses. These asanas from the “Kam sutra”, are truly an epitome of eternal love and beauty. They are artistically significant too. The Nagwanshi Kings were believed to be the practitioners of ‘Trantra’ as their contemporaries in Khajuraho. The traces of turmeric on the walls, indicate that marriage and other rituals must have been performed here from time to time.

Coming back to the historic Bhoramdeo temple, in the backdrop of natural beauty, this temple is also unique for its architecture. Cunnigham had termed it as one of the most beautifully decorated temple seen by him.

The main temple here has two parts. One is known as Ishtika made temple and the other is completely stone-carved. The main Bhoramdeo temple is in front of atranquil and cool lake. This medieval temple has been constructed upon a five feet high sprawling platform including a ‘Mandap’(shelter) Antral(Passage) and ‘Garbha Grih’(The main house of God). This east facing temple three openings except in the west. In the 60 ft. x 40 ft. area of the temple the Mandap which is square shape having four pillars in the centre and the rest are in periphery , associated with high roofs. There is a half shelter also on every entrance. In the 9 x 9 sq. ft sized ‘Garbha Grih’ a Shiva Linga’ is situated. The top of Grabha Grih goes straight to the summit of the temple known as the
”Kalash”. The east side Kalash is open in a circular form, probably to reduce the weight and maintain the balance of the structure. Near the entrance on the outer walls, the sculptures of Lord Vishnu and his other incarnations can be seen, besides those of Shiva, Ganesha etc. The row of idols from top to bottom have a size of one , one and half , and two feet height respectively The bottom part of the temple has four structures to keep the main body of the temple intact braving adverse weather condition. There are only four joints but no ‘kalash’ on the top of the same. The idols of elephants and lions are queued up on the top give the temple a decorative look. The main idols in the temple are those of Uma-Maheswar, Natraj , Narsimha , Vaman , Krishna, Surya , Kaal , Bhairava, Nritya Ganesh , Kartikeya, Tandul, Shivgang, Chamunda, Ambika, Sapta-Matrika and Laxmi-Naryan. The traces of 'Ram-Katha' are also engraved here in stones. Amidst a variety of idols the carnal sculptures of the temple are known worldwide for their exquisite carving in different erotic poses, obviously to reflect the lifestyle of those historic periods.In the north of the temple, there is a brick structure temple, which has got a superbly crafted series. On the North East and South portions of the ‘Garbha Grih’ the right angled projections add attraction to the site having big one in the middle and smaller ones on the outer side.

The brick-Structured temple also has similar Garbha Grih, as in main temple but there is no ‘Mandap’ in the front and only a open projected wall is there called ‘Allinda’. The top of this temple , too , is equal to the Bhoramdeo temple but the peak is broken mid-way. The entrance of the ‘Garbha Grih’ is completely stone-carved having one centre pillar and three adjoining pillars still intact. Inside the main temple there are shiva Linga and idols of Uma-Maheshwar. The king and queen are standing in the front as the worshippers.