RAIPUR (CHHATTISGARH)

Raipur  is a city in the Raipur district of the Indian state of Chhattisgarh. It is the capital city of the state of Chhattisgarh and is the administrative headquarters of Raipur district. It is also the largest city in Chhattisgarh. It was formerly a part of Madhya Pradesh before the state of Chhattisgarh was formed on 1 November 2000. As of 2011, the municipal corporation of the city had a population of 1,010,087. While, the urban agglomeration population was 1,122,555. The Raipur Municipal Corporation was ranked 6th out of 21 Cities for best governance & administrative practices in India in 2014. It scored 3.5 on 10 compared to the national average of 3.3.

Raipur has been in existence since the 9th century; the old site and ruins of the fort can be seen in the southern part of the city. Raipur district is important historically and as a point of interest archeologically. This district was once part of the Dakshina Kosala Kingdom and later considered part of the Maurya Empire. Raipur has been the capital of the Haihaya Dynasty Kalchuri kings, controlling the forts ofChhattisgarh for a considerable period. Satawahana kings ruled this part until the 2nd–3rd century.

The 4th century AD king Samudragupta conquered this region and established his domination until the fifth–sixth century when the area came under the rule of Sarabhpuri kings. For some time in the fifth and sixth centuries, Nala kings dominated this area. Later on Somavanshi kings took control and ruled with Sirpur ("City of Wealth") as their capital. Mahashivgupt Balarjun was the mightiest emperor of this dynasty. His mother, the widow queen of Harshgupta of the Somavansh, Rani Vasata built the brick temple of Lakshman. Kalachuri dynasty kings of Tumman ruled the area for a long period making Ratanpur the capital. The old inscriptions of Ratanpur, Rajim andKhallari refer to the reign of Kalchuri kings. It is believed that King Ramachandra of this dynasty established the city of Raipur and subsequently made it the capital of his kingdom.

Another story about Raipur is that King Ramachandra's son Brahmdeo Rai had established Raipur. His capital was Khalwatika (now Khallari). The newly constructed city was named after Brahmdeo Rai as 'Raipur'. It was during his reign in 1402 that Hajiraj Naik the temple of Hatkeshwar Mahadev was constructed on the banks of the Kharun River. The decline of this dynasty's rule came with the death of King Amarsingh Deo. This region had become the domain of Bhosle kings after Amarsingh Deo's death. With the death of Raghuji III, the territory was assumed by the British government from Bhonsla'a of Nagpur and Chhattisgarh was declared a separate division, the Chhattisgarh Division of theCentral Provinces, with its headquarters at Raipur in 1854. At the time of the independence of India Raipur district was included in the Central Provinces and Berar.