Godad Dev (गोदडदेव) Near Chhindwara Madhya Pradesh

Godad Dev (गोदडदेव) 

Ancient Jyotirlinga near Chhindwara

There are 12 ancient Jyotirlingas in a radius of about 4 km in Gurjar Dev, situated between Neelkanth and Paras village of Chand tehsil, about 28 km from the district headquarters of Chhindwara city. A large temple around the hills and around 11 small Jyotirlingas remain the center of tourism with the faith of the people.

GodadDev (गोदडदेव) has its own identity regarding faith, tourism, and archaeological importance. Although Godad Dev is not mentioned much in the record, the stone inscriptions and sculptures present here claim the 10th and 11th centuries.

Stone statues and inscriptions-

Like the Mahakal Temple of Ujjain and Kandariya Mahadev of Khajuraho, the huge stone pavilion in the Godad Dev of Chhindwara, the Chavada temple, the Shivalinga in the temple, the Nandi statue outside, the carved gates and the staircase make Godad Dev feel archeology. Many ancient rocks have also been found near the temple and around the hill. The use of the Devanagari script has also been found in rocks.

9-day fair is held in Godad Dev-

In this center of faith, Godad Dev holds a fair every year on Makar Sankranti. During the fair, Bhagwat Katha is also organized continuously for almost 35 years. People from the surrounding villages and now the city also take advantage of the fair and the worship of God. Devotees from far and wide reach here to have darshan of Lord Shiva and take advantage of religion.

Construction-

The Archaeological Department and the museum have put up a brief information board on the campus about the construction style and history of the temple. According to this, it was built in the 13th century. The kings of Devagiri of Vidarbha (in present-day Daulatabad) ruled the region. Who were contemporaries of the Tripuri kings. King Mahadev and Ramachandra's minister Himadri built many temples which are known as Hamadpanthi. The architectural craft of this temple resembles the Kalachuri architecture. It was built in about 13 century. This temple of Lord Shiva is of Bhumitra style. At some distance from this temple are the remains of two other temples.

The ancient site needs protection-

The people of the region feel the need to develop Godad Dev as a religious center as well as tourism. The attention of governance and administration has also been attracted from time to time. We got to know here that the temple comes to Neelkanth, while the committee from Parasgaon oversees the temple.

Geographical landscape with historical and religious heritage, Chhindwara is a treasure house of many natural estates. Due to these advantages, the number of tourists to Chhindwara has increased during the past years.