Shivrinarayan also known as Sheorinarayan is a town and a

nagar panchayat A nagar panchayat () or town panchayat or Notified Area Council (NAC) in India is a settlement in transition from rural to urban and therefore a form of an urban political unit comparable to a municipality. An urban centre with more than 12,00 ...

located at the ''Triveni Dhara'' of

Mahanadi The Mahanadi River is a major river in East Central India. It drains an area of around and has a total length of . Mahanadi is also known for the Hirakud Dam which was the first major multipurpose river valley project after India's independenc ...

, Shivnath and Jonk River in Janjgir-Champa district in the

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

Chhattisgarh Chhattisgarh (; ) is a landlocked States and union territories of India, state in Central India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, ninth largest state by area, and with a population of roughly 30 million, the List ...

Ramayana

Shivrinarayan has a significant role in the life of

Lord Rama Rama (; , , ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the seventh and one of the most popular avatars of Vishnu. In Rama-centric Hindu traditions, he is considered the Supreme Being. Also considered as the ideal man (''maryāda'' ...

. Lord Rama along with his wife

Sita Sita (; ), also known as Siya, Jānaki and Maithili, is a Hindu goddess and the female protagonist of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. Sita is the consort of Rama, the avatar of god Vishnu, and is regarded as an avatar of goddess Lakshmi. She is t ...

and his younger brother Lakshaman had started his Vanvas (exile) in the

Bastar district Bastar is a district in the state of Chhattisgarh in Central India. Jagdalpur is the district headquarters. Bastar is bounded on the northwest by Narayanpur District, on the north by Kondagaon district, on the east by Nabarangpur and Koraput ...

(more precisely

Dandakaranya Dandakaranya (), also rendered Dandaka (, IAST: ), is a historical region and the name of a forest mentioned in the ancient Indian epic ''Ramayana''. It covers about of land, which includes the Abujhmar Hills in the west and borders the East ...

region) of Chhattisgarh. They lived more than 10 years of their total 14 years of Vanvas (forest exile) in different places of

. One of the notable places is Shivrinarayan which is located in Janjgir-Champa district of

state. Shivrinarayan was named after an old female ascetic named

Shabari Shabari (, ), also known as Bhilni, Bhilani, and Shramana, is an elderly woman ascetic in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. She is described as an ardently devoted woman who received Rama's blessing due to her bhakti towards him. Story Shabari w ...

. When

Ram Ram, ram, or RAM most commonly refers to: * A male sheep * Random-access memory, computer memory * Ram Trucks, US, since 2009 ** List of vehicles named Dodge Ram, trucks and vans ** Ram Pickup, produced by Ram Trucks Ram, ram, or RAM may also ref ...

visited

she said "I do not have anything to offer other than my heart, but here are some berry fruits. May it please you, my Lord." Saying so, Shabari offered the fruits she had meticulously collected to Rama. When Rama was tasting them, Lakshmana raised the concern that Shabari had already tasted them and therefore unworthy of eating. To this Rama said that of the many types of food he had tasted, "nothing could equal these berry fruits, offered with such devotion. You taste them, then alone will you know. Whomsoever offers a fruit, leaf, flower or some water with love, I partake it with great joy."

Geography

Sheorinarayan is located at . It has an average elevation of .

Demographics

India

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

, Sheorinarayan had a population of 8107. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Sheorinarayan has an average literacy rate of 63%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 73%, and female literacy is 53%. In Sheorinarayan, 18% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Shivrinarayan Math

Shivrinarayan Math is centuries old Hindu temple as well as institution located in the town of Shivrinarayan. It was established during the eighth century. It is a heritage centre and bears tremendous importance from Historical and Religious perspective.

Ram Van Gaman Path

Shivrinarayan is one of the 9 spots identified by the State Government which will be restored and developed as an integral part of Ram Van Gaman Path. Shivrinarayan is the place where Shabri tasted the berry fruits for their sweetness to be given to Lord Rama. Ram Van Gaman Path connects the places where Lord Rama halted during his exile expanding from the North of Chhattisgarh ( Koriya) to the South ( Sukma). The State Government has earmarked 75 places out of which 9 will be developed in the first phase.

References

Cities and towns in Janjgir-Champa district {{Chhattisgarh-geo-stub