CHHATISGARH. Raipur: On the auspicious occasion of the first ‘Navratra’ Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel unveiled the 51 feet tall statue of Lord Shri Ram at the ancient Mata Kaushalya temple of Chandkhuri. The temple is about 25 km away from Raipur.
After performing the customary rituals, Baghel first inaugurated the renovated Mata Kaushalya Temple. Mata Kaushalya temple is part of the state government’s ambitious ‘Ram Van Gaman Tourism Circuit’ project.
The unveiling was done in the backdrop of a light and fire show. Thousands of people gathered to witness this magnificent statue of Ram, especially when Dusshera is approaching.
Ancient temple
This is the only ancient temple of Mata Kaushalya in the country, cited as the birthplace of Lord Ram’s mother.
“Lord Ram’s maternal home Chandakhuri will become as reverent and imposing as any place in mythological tales. Chhattisgarh has a glorious past associated with Ramayana. We envisioned Ram-Rajya, where there is equality, compassion, and brotherhood, as conceived by Mahatma Gandhi,”, said the chief minister. The renovation and beautification project of Mata Kaushalya temple incurred Rs 15.78 crore.
Chandkhuri has been the capital of Chandravanshi kings. It is the birthplace of Kaushalya, the mother of Lord Rama. Chandkhuri holds its own special identity for 126 ponds. This temple is situated in the middle of the Jalsen pond in the village. It is considered to be the only temple of Mata Kaushalya in the world. In the temple, there is a statue of Ramlala’s mother Kaushalya seated in her lap.
The 51-feet-tall statue has been established in the temple premise; along with the grand gate in the premises, beautification of the pond around the temple, construction of attractive pathways, and plantations.
The temple is surrounded by beautiful gardens, in the middle of the pond there is an attractive statue of Goddess Lakshmi pressing the feet of Lord Vishnu on the Sheshnag bed, and the sculpture depicting ‘Samudra Manthan’ are the main centers of attraction for the devotees.
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Devotees would get the ‘darshan’ of Lord Ram at every step of the Ram Van Gaman tourism circuit. Through this tourism circuit, devotees would be able to experience the spiritual mementos related to Lord Ram from Koriya district to Sukma. Sitamarhi Harchauka (Koriya), Ramgarh (Sarguja), Shivrinarayan (Janjgir-Champa), Turturiya (Balodabazar), Chandkhuri (Raipur), Rajim (Gariyaband), Sihawa Saptarishi Ashram (Dhamtari), Jagdalpur (Bastar), and Ramaram (Sukma) are being developed at a cost of ₹133.55 crores under the Ram Van Gaman Tourism Circuit project. This is expected to not only boost rural tourism in the state but also unleash the path to new global tourism opportunities.
