Category:Group of monuments at Sirpur

Sirpur Group of Monuments 

Historical and archaeological site in Chhattisgarh
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Instance of	archaeological site
Location	India
21° 20′ 42.81″ N, 82° 11′ 05.33″ E
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Sirpur, also referred in medieval era texts as Sripur or Shripura (city of wealth), is a town on the banks of Mahanadi in Chhattisgarh. The site became archaeologically significant after a visit and report on a Laxman (Lakshmana) temple in 1872 by Alexander Cunningham, a colonial British India official. Sirpur is mentioned in the memoirs of the Chinese traveler Hieun Tsang as a location of monasteries and temples. The site excavations particularly after 1953, and more recently after 2003, have yielded 22 Shiva temples, 5 Vishnu temples, 10 Buddha Viharas, 3 Jain Viharas, a 6th/7th century market and snana-kund (bath house). The earliest archaeological findings are dated to the late part of the 5th-century. Its fame grew and an eye witness account of it is mentioned in the memoirs of Huen T'sang (~639 CE), the Chinese traveller to India. The site already has been known for significant temple ruins of Rama and Lakshmana of the Ramayana fame. The site shows extensive syncretism, where Buddhist and Jain statues or motifs intermingle with Shiva, Vishnu and Devi temples. Sirpur has been a major regional Tirtha destination, with a galaxy of colorful Hindu temples along the Mahanadi river. It draws annual fetes and processions, particularly on festivals related to Shiva and Vishnu.