Onakona Temple

Proluge

Somewhere sometime Pamela wrote down two places to explore in Chhattisgarh which were not that well known. And one of them was Onakona. She being from there, it intrigued us with the beutiful pictures. After a week in Durg we were looking for a small break, the week was hectic and top of it the whole Diwali weekend was super busy as domestic helps were on vacation for days.

Journey

Once we checked on the the map, looked like Onakona (Dhamtari District) can be covered in a half day from Durg. There are few big dams in the vicinity the most famus one is Gangrel Reservoir on the bank of Mahanadi river. The place is south of Raipur on the main highway(NH 30) connecting Raipur and Jagdalpur. As we started from Durg we went via Balod Raod (State Highway 7). The road condition in Chhattisgarh is excellent. We crossed small villages full of paddyfields and ponds. The roads were little empty as most people were celebrating Diwali at home.

As soon as we crossed the toll plaza on NH30 we had to take a diversion on untarred road. The last 5 KM road was a trail road, just near the temple the Karrejhar villagers collect fees for entry. The road is a narrow lane, with houses on both side. There is only space for one car to pass at a time.

We were lucky to get a decent parking, as there were not many.

Two temples are being constructed on the banks of the dam, the main one temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. This mahakal temple has old architectural style but this temple is not a old one. We saw many common birds also around the lake. There were few fisherman fishing with nets in the distance.

We got to witnes amazing sunset and colors of the winter sky while returning. A half day trip really worth.

If you are exploring Chhattisgarh around Gangrel Dam, there are many other options which include night stay and water sport activites.