Rajim, the meeting point of three rivers Mahanadi, Pairi and Sondhul is
treated as a place of pilgrimage. Situated about 48 kms around 30 minutes
ride from Raipur, it was once an important urban centre. Rajim is famous
for its fine group of temples of which the most famous is Rajivlochan
temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The twelve pillars of the temple have
figures of Hindu gods and goddesses like Durga with eight arms, the Ganga
and Yamuna, Rama, Varaha (boar), Narasimha (Man-cum-Lion) etc sculptured
on them. Around the main temple of Rajivlochana are other temples dedicated
to different incarnations of Lord Vishnu such as Vamana (dwarf), Narasimha
(Man-cum-lion), Badrinath and Jgannath.
There are ruins of numerous temples around this place of which Kuleshwara
Mahadeva Temple is the most remarkable. The other temples are Someshwar
Mahadeva mandir, temple of Rajimatelin, Ramachandra temple, temple of
Kaal-Bhairav, Jagannath temple and Brahmacharya ashram. There is a black
stone statue of the Buddha meditating under the Bodhi tree and also inscriptions
belonging to Somavanshis, Nalas and Kalchuris have been found here.
|