Places of Interest

Mahakali Temple

Mahakali Temple is one of the prominent temples in Chandrapur, and many devotees visist the temple every day, especially on Tuesday and can be called an icon of the city. This is prominent place in the heart of people of Chandrapur. The main deity in this temple is Mahakali Mata. It is usually crowded by pilgrims during the month of April, particularly on the eve of Hanuman Jayanti. Annual festival held in the month of April and lakhs of people flock to the temple on this occasion. Worshippers may have to queue up outside the temple for as long as four to five hours during this time.

There are two idols (murthys) in the Mahakali Mandir. One standing murthy is the main idol decorated with red, yellow and orange color cloths. The main idol also associated with Shiv Ling. The second murthy is reclining position. The second idol is actually below the ground level and to reach there, devotes need to walk in kind of a tunnel

Drinking water, accommodation, and prasad distribution facilities are all available within the temple premises. Tuesday is considered to be the most prominent day of worship in this temple.

There are two entrances to the temple, a rear entrance featuring Lord Ganesh and a Shani temple, which is worshipped on Saturdays, and another one featuring Lord Hanuman. Both the entrances have small shops for puja supplies like coconut, flowers and cloth. We get lot of other things for home decor and puja items all the time near the temple. The ancient temple was built by Dhundya Ram Sah, Tribal King of Gond Dynasty around 16th century. The sculptures on the walls of Mahakali temple were outstanding blend of Tibetan and Hindu traditions.

Forts In Chandrapur

Situated in Chandrapur district of Maharashtra, all the three forts (Ballalpur, Chandrapur and Manikgarh Forts) are of tribal origin.

Chandrapur fort

Gond Raja Fort was built by the Gond kings between the late 15th century and early 16th century. The main objective for constructing this fort was to protect the king and the army from enemy attacks. The construction of this fort was started by Babji Ballal Sah; but after his death in 1597, the work was carried further by Dhundya Ram Sah.

Though the construction was completed by Dhundya Ram Sah during 16th century. the building commenced under Khandkya Ballal Sah (1470-1495). The walls of this fort cover a massive area of around 7.5 miles. When the Gond capital was shifted from Ballalpur to Chandrapur, the Ballal kings built an extensive land fort with high walls and bastions. The fort has strong walls of 15-20 foot high encompassing the city. The fort area is divided into Jatpura on north side, Vinba or Ghod-maidan on west side, Pathanpura on south side and Mahakali or Achaleshwar on east side. The fort has small four-five entrances.

Regular private and state transport bus services along with auto rickshaws are available from Chandrapur to this fort.

Manikgarh Fort

Manikgarh Fort was built by Tribal Naga Kings during 9th century. Manikgarh, made famous by a newly established cement factory near by, is about 35kms south-west of Chandrapur. Built by tribal Naga kings in the 9th century, the Manigarh hill fort stands at the height of 507 metres above sea-level. It was strongly fortified with walls and bastions. Today, the fort is in complete ruins and has become a sanctuary for wild animals. A pukka road through a dense forest leads very close to the gateway of the fort. Nearby is an old temple of Vishnu. The fort is now in ruined condition and only remnants are damaged structures, tanks, walls and bastions. Its ruined walls and bastions show the signs of strong fortifications of that time.

Ballalpur Fort

Ballalpur Fort is located in Ballalpur town with 16 km from Chandrapur. Khandakya Ballalshah built this land fort on the eastern bank of the Wardha River. The fort is square in shape with walls and bastions. The fort walls are still intact, but all the old structures are in total ruins. There are still two intact gates set at right angle to each other and small postern gate on the river side.

Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve

Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve is a tiger reserve in Chandrapur District, Maharashtra, India. It includes Tadoba National Park and Andhari Wildlife Sanctuary. Maharashtra’s oldest National Park created in 1955, the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve. It is also one of India’s 28 Project Tiger Reserve. The National Park is 623 km? in area, consisting of two forested rectangles of the Tadoba and Andhari range.
The National park derives its name from local tribal god “Taru” whereas the Andhari river flowing through the forests gives the sanctuary its name. The forests mainly consists of teak and bamboo interspersed with grassy meadows while Tadoba is rugged hilly terrain. The area has a wide and rich range of flora and fauna. Teak and bamboo trees dominate southern deciduous forests. There is vast diversity in fauna and various types of species are found here.
The major attraction in this place is the presence of tigers. the large herds of Chital and the stately Samber are often seen in the forest. Other attractions include the elusive barking Deer, the fleet footed Chausinga. The majestic Gaur, the robust Nilgai, The shy Sloth Bear, the whistling wild dogs, the omnipresent wild Boar and stealthy Leopard etc. As the night falls the small Indian Civet The Palm Civet, the Rattle, The flying squirrel make their presence felt. In the backdrop of the famous Ram degi Temple, the nature is as its best at Tadoba

Vijasan Hills

There are several temples here which are very attractive. The atmosphere here is very serene and calm and one can come here to soak in the religious significance of the place as well as to relax in the serenity of the environment.

Junona Lake

This spot is 15 kms away from the town of Chandrapur. Here, there are well developed facilities for boating, and there are also restaurants and parks located here.

Ghora Jhari Lake

This lake is situated in Nagbhir tehsil. It is 6 kms away from the main Nagpur – Chandrapur highway, 106 kms from Chandrapur town and 97 kms from Nagpur. The capacity of the reservoir is 45 cusecs of water.

Bhadravati Jain Temple

This temple in the town is very popular with the Jain community. It has very beautiful sculptures. This temple is located as Bhadravati village, 32 kilometres from Chandrapur town on Central Railways. This temple is said to be extremely old, but the exact time of its construction is not known. There are several other idols in the temples, which were recovered in digging the earth

Anandvan Ashram, Warora

Warora town has come into prominence due to location of the “Anandvan Ashram”. Maharogi Seva Samiti, which also handles the Lok Biradari Prakalp and the Somnath Project, runs and manages this centre. Well known Social worker and Maharashtrabhushan Shri Baba Amte whose services and efforts for the rehabilitation and care of leprosy patients have earned him worldwide recognition. Foreign tourists in large numbers often visit Anandvan Ashram.

The Anandvan Ashram, located in the town of Warora, is just few kilometres from Chandrapur city. It was founded in 1951 by a social activist named Baba Amte. Essentially an ashram, this centre mostly serves as a community rehabilitation centre for patients suffering from leprosy. It also serves the disabled, from downtrodden sections of society.

In the ashram, there are numerous small-scale and home-based industry units. These are run by the residents for generating income, which can cover additional requirements of the ashram.

Chandrapur Super Thermal Power Station (CSTPS)

Chandrapur Super Thermal Power Station (CSTPS) is the largest thermal power station of the Maharashtra State Electricity Board. Located just 6 km from the city, this thermal power station lies on the main route to Tadoba National Park. The power station has a capacity of over 2340 MW.

A dam on Erai River has also been constructed at a distance of 15 km from this thermal power station. 420 m long, this dam caters to the water requirements of the thermal power station. The effective water storage capacity of this dam is around 198 million cubic metres. Around 12 million cubic metres is released annually to the Chandrapur city.