Bhoramdeo: Carved Stone Below the Maikal Hills, and Almost Nobody There
A practical guide to Bhoramdeo near Kawardha — what the carving actually is, the two other temples in the complex that most visitors walk past, and why the Khajuraho comparison is both useful and misleading.
Bhoramdeo gets sold as the Khajuraho of Chhattisgarh, and the comparison does it more harm than good. Yes, there is dense figurative carving on the outer walls, some of it erotic, on an eleventh-century temple with a tiered tower. But Khajuraho is a walled park of twenty-odd monuments with a light show and a tourist economy, and Bhoramdeo is a working temple in a village with fields on one side and the Maikal hills behind it. Go expecting the second thing and it is one of the most pleasant half-days in central India. Go expecting the first and you will feel short-changed.
Bhoramdeo is an eleventh-century stone temple near Kawardha in northern Chhattisgarh, roughly 125 km from Raipur, attributed to the Nagvanshi rulers of the region. Dense figurative relief covers the outer walls; a stepped tower rises above. Two further temples sit within a short walk. Half a day is enough for the complex, a full day if you take the surrounding countryside slowly. October to March. Best paired with Sirpur as a short temples trip out of Raipur, or slotted into a wider Chhattisgarh route.
Why visit Bhoramdeo
Three reasons to make the detour — and one thing to get straight before you do.
Carving you can get close to
The relief runs around the outer walls at eye level and just above, with no barrier and no queue. You can stand a foot away and look at it for as long as you like, which is not true at the sites this one gets compared to.
The setting does half the work
Green fields in front, the forested Maikal range behind, and a village rather than a tourist strip around it. The temple sits in a landscape instead of a compound, and that is most of why the visit lands.
Two more temples nobody visits
Madwa Mahal and Chherki Mahal are both a short distance away and are usually empty. Madwa Mahal in particular is worth the walk — a fourteenth-century temple built, by tradition, to mark a royal wedding.
When to go
This is an open-air site at moderate altitude with a working temple on it, so the considerations are heat, rain and festival crowds rather than access.
October to March (the season): dry, clear and cool enough to walk the complex in comfort. The fields around are still green early in this window, which is when the setting looks best.
July to September (green and dramatic): the Maikal hills come alive and the approach is genuinely beautiful, but the stone is slick, the light is flat and rural roads in this district get slow. Worth it if you like landscape more than detail.
April to June (avoid if you can): hot and hazy, with the fields burnt off and the hills lost behind dust. The carving is still the carving, but the setting — the main reason to come — is at its worst.
Bhoramdeo is an active place of worship as well as a monument. Mahashivratri in particular draws large crowds and a very different atmosphere — excellent if that is what you want, and worth planning around if it is not. Dress and behave as you would at any working temple.
Things to do at Bhoramdeo
The main temple takes about an hour if you go round it properly. Everything else here is a short drive or a walk.
Walk the outer walls
Start outside, not inside. The relief bands run right around the temple and the sequence only makes sense if you circle it. Take it slowly; the panels reward it, and there is nobody behind you waiting to move on.
The tower
A stepped pyramidal shikhara rises above the sanctum, built up in receding tiers. Step back across the forecourt to see it properly — from close up the wall carving pulls all your attention and you miss the shape of the thing.
Madwa Mahal
A short distance from the main temple and usually deserted. Traditionally associated with a royal marriage and dated to the fourteenth century, it carries its own figurative carving and is, for many visitors, the quieter pleasure of the two.
Chherki Mahal
The third and smallest of the group, ruined and rarely visited. Ten minutes, no crowd, and it rounds out what was clearly a cluster rather than a single temple.
The countryside around
Fields, low forested hills and villages, with very little traffic. If you have a car for the day, drive out toward the hills for half an hour rather than turning straight back toward Raipur.
Kawardha town
The nearest town of any size, with a heritage palace property that is the reason some people make this an overnight rather than a day trip. Low-key, and the right answer if you want to see the temple early with nobody there.
What to eat
Kawardha has simple local options and the palace hotel; there is very little at the temple itself.
Chhattisgarhi staples
Chila, faraa and bafauri if you ask for them specifically — rice-led and lightly sour, and quite unlike the wheat-based food of Madhya Pradesh just across the border.
The palace hotel
The heritage property in Kawardha serves non-residents by arrangement and is the only proper sit-down meal in the area. Call ahead rather than turning up.
Poha and chai
The standard central Indian breakfast, and the right fuel for an early start at the temple before the day-trippers arrive from Raipur.
Water
There is shade at the complex but little in the way of shops. Carry water, especially if you are walking between the three temples rather than driving.
Where to stay
Kawardha if you want the temple to yourself at dawn; Raipur if you would rather treat the whole thing as a day trip.
Kawardha
A heritage palace property and a handful of simple hotels. Staying here buys you the temple early in the morning with nobody in it, which is a meaningfully different visit.
Raipur
Wide hotel choice and the state’s main airport. Bhoramdeo is a long day trip from here — doable, but you will arrive with the crowd rather than before it.
Getting there and around
From Raipur: roughly 125 km northwest, about three hours. Most visitors come this way, which is why the temple fills up late morning and empties again by mid-afternoon.
From Kawardha: about 18 km, half an hour. If you are staying in Kawardha you can be at the temple before it gets busy, which is the single best reason to stay there.
Getting around: a car and driver. The three temples are spread out enough that walking between all of them is awkward, and public transport in the district is slow and infrequent. There is no ticketed circuit and no guide service to speak of.
Bhoramdeo is northwest of Raipur and Sirpur is east of it, so the two make a neat short trip out of the capital in opposite directions — but they do not chain together in a single day. Give each its own half day.
A simple 1-day plan
Early at the main temple, the other two before lunch, and the hills in the afternoon.
Temple at opening, then the other two
Be at the main temple early and walk the outer walls before the Raipur cars arrive. Then Madwa Mahal and Chherki Mahal, both usually empty. Lunch in Kawardha, and spend the afternoon driving out toward the Maikal hills rather than heading straight back — the landscape is half of what you came for.
Practical tips that actually help
October to March
Cool enough to walk the complex, and the fields and hills still have colour in them. April to June the setting disappears into haze.
Circle the temple before entering
The carving is on the outside. Most people go straight in, come out, and leave having missed the reason they came.
Stay in Kawardha if you can
An 18 km drive instead of 125 km means you arrive before the day-trippers. It changes the visit completely.
Do not skip Madwa Mahal
It is a short hop from the main temple and it is almost always empty. Several visitors end up preferring it.
It is a working temple
Shoes off where indicated, dress modestly, and be unobtrusive if worship is going on. This is not an archaeological park.
Carry cash
Small shops, parking and any offering you want to make are cash. ATMs are unreliable once you leave the highway.
Mistakes first-time visitors make
- Expecting Khajuraho. It is one temple with two smaller ones nearby, in a village, with no light show and no compound. That is the appeal, but only if you arrive knowing it.
- Going straight inside. The relief is on the outer walls. Walk the full circuit first or you will miss almost all of it.
- Day-tripping from Raipur and arriving at noon. Three hours each way puts you there at the busiest, hottest part of the day. Stay at Kawardha or leave very early.
- Trying to add Sirpur the same day. They are on opposite sides of Raipur, roughly 200 km apart. Two half days, not one long one.
Working out whether Bhoramdeo is worth the detour?
It depends entirely on how many days you have and whether Bastar is also on the list. Tell me your dates and I will tell you honestly whether to include it — and what to drop if you do.
Bhoramdeo FAQs
Why is Bhoramdeo called the Khajuraho of Chhattisgarh?
Because of the dense figurative relief on its outer walls, some of it erotic, on an eleventh-century temple with a tiered tower. The comparison is fair about the carving and misleading about everything else: Bhoramdeo is a single village temple with two smaller ones nearby, not a large monument complex.
How far is Bhoramdeo from Raipur?
Roughly 125 km northwest, about three hours by road. It is around 18 km from Kawardha, which is the nearest town and the better base if you want the temple early.
How long do you need at Bhoramdeo?
Half a day covers the main temple and the two nearby ones. A full day is better if you want to eat in Kawardha and spend the afternoon in the countryside below the Maikal hills, which is a large part of the appeal.
Is Bhoramdeo a working temple?
Yes. It is an active place of worship as well as a historic monument, and it draws large crowds at Mahashivratri in particular. Dress modestly, remove shoes where indicated and be unobtrusive if worship is under way.
Can you visit Bhoramdeo and Sirpur on the same day?
Not sensibly. Bhoramdeo is northwest of Raipur and Sirpur is about 80 km east of it, roughly 200 km apart. They work well on the same trip as two separate half days, with a night in Raipur between them.
Related guides
Keep planning your Chhattisgarh trip with these:
Chhattisgarh Travel Guide
Waterfalls, limestone caves, Bastar’s weekly markets and the brick temples of Sirpur — how to put a Chhattisgarh trip together.
Sirpur
A seventh-century brick temple and a buried city on the Mahanadi — the other half of a short temples trip out of Raipur.
Written by Ashvinee Nagle
I travel India slowly and write it down honestly - practical guides and real itineraries from someone who lives here.
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