The major tourist attractions of Dantewada District are as follows - Dantewada: A very ancient town of India, Dantewada had been the capital city of a glorious Kingdom in its golden past. This town was known as Tarlapal and Dantawali in pre-historical days, mention of which can be found on some stone carvings found in the district. Further, temple of Goddess Danteswari tops the list of places of interest of this town. This temple, which is one among the Shakti Pithas of the country, is visited by large number of devotees from different parts of the country through out the year. This temple is constructed, mainly on the South Indian architectural style of (temple), and located at the confluence of the holy rivers Shankini and Dhankini. This temple gives a pleasant feeling of peace and immense satisfaction to the minds of devotees who visit. Apart from Danteshwari temple, the temple of Bhairm Baba is also historically important place to visit. Bailadila: This mountain range is famous in the world for enormous and top quality deposits of Iron ore. Total 14 reserves have been discovered in this range. As this mountain range contains peaks that exactly look like the humps of the ox at different places, this range of mountains is also known as "Baila Dila" (meaning the hump of ox, in the local language). Bailadila has been established as an industrial area that has been divided into two towns, namely Bacheli (29 kms from Dantewada) and Kirandul (41 kms from Dantewada). Apart from understanding the mining activities one can also enjoy a panoramic view of the green forests and beautiful landscapes of the region. Barsur: 75 kms from Jagdalpur on the way to Dantewada a small town Geedam is situated, 24 kms towards north of Geedam village Barsur is located. The small village Barsur is considered significant historically as it reflects the history of the tenure of Gangawanshi rulers in as early as 840 AD. Barsur, situated on the bank of Indravati River is famously known as the city of temples and ponds. It is believed that there used to be 147 temples and equal number of ponds here. Even though Barsur had lost its glory gradually century after century, the ruins of numerous temples that are found here still manage to attract the attention of the people. Some of the temples worth mentioning are Mama-Bhanjaa temple, Chandraditya temple, Battisa temple and a mammoth statue of Lord Ganesha. Apart from these temples one vast pond of pre-historical days is worth visiting. Bodhghat Sath Dhar: 6 kms from Barsur, river Indravati divides into seven parts to form one small waterfall. This spot, fully covered with dense green forests, stands to explain the beauty of the combination of the river, water and the mountains. Memory Pillars of Gamawada: 14 kms from Dantewada, a small village Gamawada is located where large sized stone pillars invite the visitors to have a glance at the age old tradition of the local tribes. These giant sized stone pillars which were erected centuries back by the local inhabitants are basically the memory pillars dedicated to their diseased elders and relatives. How to reach Dantewada District By Road: Dantewada is connected with Jagdalpur the nearest town, by state highway No.16. Bus services are available from almost all the big cities of Chhattisgarh, like Raipur, Bilaspur, Durg and Rajnandgaon to Bailadila, which goes through Dantewada. Dantewada is also connected by road with Hyderabad. By Train: South East Railway is running a regular passenger train from Vishakhapatnam to Bailadila which passes through the beautiful Araku Valley and stops a while at Dantewada before reaching its destination Bailadila. By Air: The nearest air terminal is Raipur. These diverse tourist attractions of Dantewada District will surely make the travelling experience a truly memorable one. |