Bastar had a tradition of human sacrifice. Workers of the king used to catch all the beggars and put them in to a cave called ‘Melek khodera’ in local parlance.
On the particular date like Vijaya Dasami (Durga puja) the king, after bringing the beggars out of the cave and performing their cleansing offered them to Goddess Danteshwari as human sacrifice. This is why local poor or infirm people even after 188 years don’t dare go for begging today. Beggars who are seen in front of temples of the Bastar region are migrants either from Andhra Pradesh, Odisha or from Chhattisgarh plains.
Bastar is famous for its enchanting Natural beauty but it is equally infamous for practising ‘Tantra-Mantra’ and black magic. Neck-deep sunken in superstitions, people of Bastar still believe in ‘Sirha-Gunia’ for remedy of their ills and fall victim to untimely death, instead of go for begging. Principal priest of Dantewada Shaktipeeth Harihar Nath Jiya says, hundred eighty eight years back Bastar had the tradition of human sacrifices. From the reign of Nagvanshi Madhur Mandal to Chalukyas
administration, tradition of human sacrifices had the State patronage and that Chalukya King Mahipaldev was most infamous for practising this abominable custom. On the occasion of Vijaya Dashmi Mahipaldev used to organise the programme of human sacrifices and on that occasion along with hundreds of animal, 15 humans were also put to death in front of the Goddess Danteshwari. And these unfortunate people were those who came to beg here and were put in ‘Melek Khodera’ by the subjects of the King. For this work the King had sheltered henchmen at Rajpur village, under Bastar development block.
Bhopaldev and Bhairamdev too were infamous for offering human sacrifices during their reign. In those days two words ‘Hele’ and ‘Phitkur’ in Gondi language were famous in terms of human sacrifice. While ‘Hele had the meaning of human sacrifice, ‘Phitkur had the meaning ‘offering blood to the deity’.
According to Priest Jiya last time on 23 September 1825, human sacrifice was performed at Danteshwari Temple in which the henchmen chopped off heads of 10 buffaloes, 600 goats as well as 15 human beings in presence of Maharaja Mahipaldev. later, Bhonsales of the Maratha kingdom under whose empire Bastar kingdom fell, punished Mahipaldev for indulging in this abominable act.