Sirpur is a small town on the banks of river Mahanadi in the district of Mahasmand in the Chattisgarh state of India. Sirpur is famous for its Archaeological Monuments dating back to the 5th century A.D.

Sirpur Lakshman temple. Photo Source: Creative Commons

Sirpur was previously known as Shripur and was the capital of the South Kosal kingdom. Laxman temple, a magnificent 7th-century brick-made Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu, is the major attraction at the archaeological site. The Laxman temple at Sirpur is built on a massive platform with steps on the South and North sides. The Laxman temple is one of the best brick temples of ancient India. This temple and its surroundings are rich with other ancient historical monuments. There is a museum inside the Laxman temple premises, run by the Archaeological Survey of India. There is a Ram temple close to the Laxman temple.

Anand Prabhu Kuti Vihar is a Buddhist monument built by Bhikshu Anand Prabhu, a follower of Gautham Buddha. It comprises 14 rooms, and there is a six-foot statue of Gautham Buddha, touching the earth, which can be seen here.

Swastik Vihara is another Buddhist Vihar recently excavated near the Anand Prabhu Kuti Vihar.

Gandheswar Shiva temple is another historical temple on the banks of the Mahanadi River. This temple is also rich with its historical remains and ‘Shiva Leela’ pictures.

There are 12 Buddh Viharas and 1 Jain Vihara at Sirpur. Monolithic statues of Lord Mahavira and Buddha are also seen here. 22 Shiva temples and 5 Vishnu temples are also there.

Sirpur is a paradise for those looking for Archaeological Monuments in India. Huien Tsang, the famous 7th-century Chinese traveler, had visited Sirpur and written about the monuments here. Most of these historical monuments were believed to have been destroyed due to a significant earthquake in the 12th century A.D. This has resulted in the devastation of massive historical buildings into heaps of clay and stone. What remains now is still the pride of India and the region.

How Do I Go to Sirpur’s Archaeological Monuments site?

Sirpur’s Archaeological Monuments site is around 85 kilometers from the state capital city of Raipur. Raipur is well connected to other parts of India by road, railways, and airways network.

Raipur Swami Vivekananda Airport is the nearest airport to Sirpur’s Archaeological Monuments site.

Mahashmund railway station is the nearest railway station to Sirpur on the Raipur-Waltair line. This is a small station. “Raipur Junction” is the nearest Major Railway Station on the Howrah (Kolkotta) – Nagpur – Mumbai railway line. The station code of Raipur is “R”. (Yes, it is a single alphabet code, which is rare among Indian railway stations.)

Some of the National Highways that connect Raipur with other parts of India are NH6 (Gujrat – West Bengal), NH 43 (Andhra Pradesh – Chhattisgarh ), NH 217 (Chhattisgarh – Odisha).