Dongargarh

A hilltop pilgrimage town in Rajnandgaon district, Dongargarh is home to the Bamleshwari Temple, one of Chhattisgarh's most important Shakti shrines, reached by a flight of over a thousand steps or a modern ropeway up the hillside. The town itself is fairly small, existing primarily around the pilgrimage traffic the temple generates.

A second, older Bamleshwari temple sits at the base of the hill, giving the site two distinct shrines — upper and lower — both actively worshipped, with the upper temple's hilltop position offering sweeping views across the surrounding plains for those who make the climb.

The temple's origins are linked to local legend involving the goddess Bamleshwari and the historic Kalchuri rulers of the region, with the hilltop shrine believed to date back several centuries as an important regional Shakti pilgrimage site.

About 70km from Raipur, roughly 1.5 hours by road; Dongargarh also has its own railway station.