Giraudpuri is a village in the

Baloda Bazar district Baloda Bazar - Bhatapara is a district in Chhattisgarh state of India with its headquarters at Baloda Bazar. Before its creation, it was a part of Raipur district. The border of Balodabazar-Bhatapara district touches Bemetara, Mungeli, Bilaspur, ...

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 ...

, India. Located beside the

Jonk River Jonk River is a tributary of Mahanadi River that flows for approximately 210 kilometers through the Nuapada District and Bargarh District in the state of Odisha; and the Mahasamund District and Raipur District in the state of Chhattisgarh in Ind ...

, it is the birthplace of the

Satnami Satnampanth, also called Satnami Samaj, Satnami movement, or Sadhanpanth, is the Satnami sect founded by Ghasidas in 1820. It is one of several Indian sects called ''Satnami'', the earliest being one founded by Bir Bhan of the Narnaul district i ...

sect's founder Guru Ghasidas, and a

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) w ...

centre for the Satnamis.

History

The village is notable as the birth place of Guru Ghasidas, the founder of the ''

Satnam Satnam (, pronunciation: ) is the main word that appears in the Sikh sacred scripture called the Guru Granth Sahib. Meaning and usage It is part of the Gurbani shabad called Mool Mantra which is repeated daily by Sikhs. This word succeeds th ...

'' ''

panth Panth (also panthan, meaning "path" in Sanskrit), also called the Sampradaya, is the term used for several religious traditions in India. A panth is founded by a guru or an acharya in guru-shishya parampara, and is often led by scholars or senior ...

'' (religious sect). It is a major place of

(''dham'') for the Satnamis. His son Balakdas purchased land in Girodhpuri to strengthen the Satnami sect. A ''jayanti'' '' mela'' (birth anniversary fair) held in honour of Ghasidas was first held in Giraudpuri in 1932. The village was originally known as "Girod". By the time Chhattisgarh became a state in 2000, the Satnamis had become a politically important voting group. The state government renamed the village to "Girodpuri" ("Girod town"), and started developing the area as a tourist centre to generate income, and to gain the political support of the Satnamis. The government built a temple, surrounded by other infrastructure such as

hostels A hostel is a form of low-cost, short-term shared sociable lodging where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed in a dormitory sleeping 4–20 people, with shared use of a lounge and usually a kitchen. Rooms can be private or shared - mixe ...

, parking areas, and space for the makeshift shops and stalls to be set up during the annual ''mela''. The government also developed roads leading to the area, and advertised the site as an important pilgrimage centre of the state. As a result of these efforts, the attendance at the ''mela'' increased from around 20,000 in 2001 to over 500,000 in 2008. In 2022, the INC-led Chhattisgarh government announced that the village will be renamed to "Baba Guru Ghasidas Dham Giroudpuri".

Tourism

The main landmark of the village is ''Guru Ghasidas Jaitkham'', a 77 metre high tower used as a pilgrimage centre by the Satnamis. A ''jaitkham'' ("victory pillar") is a Satnami object of worship, and a symbol of their distinct sectarian identity. It is also known as ''Jaithkham'', ''Jaitkhambh'', ''Jait Khamba'', ''Jait Khamb'', or ''Jai Stambh''. The Jaitkham at Giraudpuri was commissioned by the

BJP The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; , ) is a political party in India and one of the two major Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. BJP emerged out from Syama Prasad Mukherjee's Bharatiya Jana Sangh. Since 2014, ...

-led Chhattisgarh government, and constructed by a

Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...

-based firm as an earthquake-resistant structure. The project was scheduled to be completed in 2007 at a cost of 17

crore Crore (; abbreviated cr) denotes the quantity ten million (107) and is equal to 100 lakh in the Indian numbering system. In many international contexts, the decimal quantity is formatted as 10,000,000, but when used in the context of the India ...

s, but was completed in 2015 at a cost of 51.43

s. In 2010, while questioning the government on the delay and the cost overruns, the opposition INC leaders alleged that the tower was originally planned to be 122 m high, but the BJP government denied this. When Chief Minister

Raman Singh Raman Singh (born 15 October 1952) is an Indian politician who is currently serving as the speaker of the Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly since 2023. Formerly, he served as the Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh and holding the position for thre ...

inaugurated the tower on 18 December 2015, it was said to be the tallest

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of aggregate bound together with a fluid cement that cures to a solid over time. It is the second-most-used substance (after water), the most–widely used building material, and the most-manufactur ...

structure in India. Visitors can climb the tower up to 65m taking the spiral stairs or elevators. At its centre, the structure has a conference hall with a capacity to hold 2000 people. Charan Kund, sacred pond, is another pilgrimage site in the village. Amrit Kund, a pond whose water is said to be sweet, is located a kilometre from the village. The annual Giraudpuri Mela (fair), also known as the "Guru Darshan Mela", is held at the village.

References

{{reflist Villages in Baloda Bazar district Satnami