Navagaon Shiva Temple, Chattisgarh

Address

Navagaon Shiva Temple, Navagaon, Raipur district, Chattisgarh

Deity

Shiva

Introduction

The Navagaon Shiva Temple, located in Navagaon Village near Raipur City in Raipur District, Chhattisgarh, is a significant temple dedicated to Lord Shiva.

Puranic Significance:

According to local folklore, the construction of the Navagaon Shiva Temple involved an interesting pledge by the builders. They vowed to construct the temple only during the nighttime. However, when they reached the point of placing the deity in the temple’s sanctum, daylight unexpectedly broke, which prevented them from fulfilling their pledge. Consequently, the sanctum has remained without a deity to this day.
The temple is believed to have been constructed around the 16th to 17th century CE.
An intriguing aspect of the temple’s architecture is that the doorframe and pillars appear to have been repurposed from an earlier ruined temple, dating back to the 12th to 13th century CE. This suggests that the builders used architectural elements from the earlier structure to create the current temple.
The temple is situated on a raised platform, enhancing its architectural and historical significance.

Special Features:

The Navagaon Shiva Temple consists of a sanctum (garbhagriha), antarala (vestibule), and a pillared mandapa (assembly hall).
Currently, there is no deity present in the sanctum of the temple.
The doorframe of the sanctum and the pillars in the mandapa are older than the temple’s walls, indicating that they may have been sourced from an earlier ruined temple.
The temple is located near the banks of a large pond, contributing to its cultural and architectural significance.
This temple serves as an excellent example of later-period brick temple architecture found in Chhattisgarh.
Additionally, there is a newly built temple nearby, dedicated to Lord Vishwanath Mahadev and Goddess Ambika Devi.

The Navagaon Shiva Temple is not only a place of historical and architectural importance but also bears an interesting anecdote related to its construction pledge.