They say nature always surrounds any pilgrimage site. Well, tourist spots bearing religious connotations as well as generous bounties of nature are plenty in number in the Indian sub continent. Every zone of the country, including the peninsular India, the northern slopes, the eastern edges and the western borders offer plentiful options for any tourist to quench his/her thirst for traveling. Once you are in the state of Chhattisgarh, you will be mesmerized by the Holy Places in Dantewada, a picturesque town of the state.
On your Tour to Dantewada, you will have on offer plenty of Tourist Attractions to enthrall you. The Holy Places in Dantewada, however, carry a lot of historical significance as well. Danteshwari Temple, the most important of the sacred sites in the town, is believed to have been built in the fourteenth century by the Chalukya kings, who ruled Dantewada from 1324 to 1777. They made Barsur their capital and established their ancestral deity, Warangal as Danteshwari.
Legend has it that Danteshwari was originally called Goddess Manikeshwari by the Nagas in 760 to 1324 A.D. Believed to be one of the Shakti Piths of the Hindus, the Temple was renovated before independence. It is divided into four sections – the Garbh Griha, Maha Mandap, Mukhya Mandap and Sabha Mandap. The first two were built with stones. Many statues and idols from Bursar were brought from Bursar and established here.
It is said that the Chalukya kings, whenever visited the temple, each time offered a village to the Goddess. Lovingly called Maiji, Danteshwari Devi is devotedly worshipped by tribals and non tribals alike and has become one of the most worshipped Holy Places in Dantewada, or rather, in India.
