Tourism in Raipur District comprises visits to its several places of interest. This beautiful district of Chhattisgarh offers the visitors a tranquil and an enriching experience. There is no scarcity of attractive tourist spots in Raipur District. The popular places of interest of this region attract the attention of the people from various parts of the world.
Here are some of the tourism attractions of Raipur District -
Raipur: Raipur was founded by the Kalchuri King Ram Chandra in the 14th century AD. Now, Raipur is the headquarters of this district. It is centrally located in Chhattisgarh. Raipur is the biggest city of the region and a fast developing important industrial centre.
Champaran (Champajhar): The village is identified with Champaranya, the birth place of the Saint Vallabhacharya, the reformer and founder of the Vallabh Sect for whom this place has religious sanctity. A temple was constructed in honour of Guru Swamy Vallabhacharya. Near to this temple, there is the temple of Champakeshwara Mahadeva. An annual fair is held every year in the month of Magha (January - February). Birth anniversary of Vallabhacharya is celebrated every year on the eleventh bright day of Baisakh (April-May) and a large number of followers of the sect assemble here to pay homage.
Sirpur: Sirpur or Shripur the city of wealth has been mentioned in ancient epigraphic records and dates back to a periods ranging between 5th and 8th centuries AD. It was then the capital of the Sarbhapuriya and Somvanshi Kings of Dakshin Kosala or Chhattisgarh. It was an important centre of Buddhism from 6th and 10th centuries AD and was visited by Hieun Tsang, Chinese Scholar. Excavations in and around the village have yielded scores of temple sites constructed of bricks, stone pillars and sculptures such as the Shiva Temple of Panchayatan style and the beautiful sculpture of Mahishasura Mardini. Two Buddhist monasteries have also been found here.
The Laxman Temple found here is a brick temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The temple is the only brick temple of its size still standing in this state. Another temple is the Gandhesheshwara Temple (formerly Gandharveshvara) and is interesting because of the epigraphic records and descents of the kings of the Somvansh. The most interesting feature of the Sirpur site is the archeological pieces connected with the Saivism, Vaishnavism, Jainism and Buddhism that have been found side by side. The ruins are seen on the banks of numerous tanks existing within a radius of about 6 kms around Sirpur. A large religious fair is annually held here for three days on the beginning on Shivaratri (January / February) near the Chandheshvara Temple.
Turturiya: Village Turturiya of Raipur District is popular for its Buddhist remains of 8th century AD and the Brahmanical remains of later period. The site yielded numerous exquisitely sculptured pillars, remains of Stupa made of fine bricks, traces of bathing Ghats, Lingams figures of four armed Vishnu, Ganesha, a man hunting a lion with sword and a man wrestling with an animal. The place is of a great archaeological and anthropological interest.
Rajim: Situated on the right bank of Mahanadi River was one of the important urban centres in the Mahakoshal region. It is famous for its fine group of temples. The main temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu known as Rajivalochana Temple. The twelve pillars of the temple have tall single figures sculptured on the face like Goddess Durga with eight arms, Ganga River and Yamuna River and exquisitely carved incarnation of Lord Vishnu, Lord Rama, Varaha (boar) and Narasimha (Man-cum-Lion), etc. There is also a black stone statue of Lord Buddha meditating under the Bodhi Tree. There are other temples around the main temple of Rajivalochana dedicated to different incarnations of Vishnu such as Vamana Avatar, Narasimha (Man-cum-Lion), Badrinath and Jagannath. Of the ruins of numerous temples found nearby the most remarkable is that of Kuleshvara
Further, Raipur District possesses three wild life sanctuaries and these are Barnawapara Sanctuary, Sita Nadi Sanctuary and Udanti Sanctuary. The sanctuaries are open throughout the year. With a varied terrain of wooded hills abounding with evergreen sal forests, precious timber procuring, natural and planted teak forests and mixed forests of higher and medium quality, the sanctuaries offer abundant opportunities of exploring a variety of wild life. The predominant species in the sanctuaries are deer and the most easily sighted are the graceful little chinkara, the Indian gazelle and spotted deer. Other species that have their habitat in the sanctuaries are Sambar, Kotri, barking deer, four horned antelope, sloth bear, wild boar, wild dog, jackal, wolf, hyena and bison. Tiger and leopards/panthers can also be spotted in the sanctuaries, but they are certainly in limited numbers. The sanctuary`s fauna includes peacock, jungle fowl, pigeon, green pigeon, quail, gray-partridge, parrot, stork etc. Artificial water holes have been developed in the area to attract migratory birds which are good sites for bird-watchers in winter and for general tourists in summer.
The other tourism attractions of Raipur District are Radha Krishna Temple, Chandi Temple, Ram Temple, Swastik Vihar Monastery and Anand Premkuti Vihar (Monastery). The visitors can have a complete rejuvenating experience in this district.