Raipur is well connected for a city of its size. Swami Vivekananda Airport, about 15 km south of the city centre, has direct flights to Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and several other Indian cities. Air India, IndiGo, and SpiceJet all serve the route. From the airport, prepaid taxis and app-based cabs reach the centre in 30-40 minutes depending on traffic.
Raipur Junction is a major station on the Howrah–Mumbai main line, which means trains from both coasts pass through. The Gitanjali Express and the Mumbai–Howrah Mail connect Raipur to Mumbai in around 20 hours; the journey to Kolkata takes about 12-14 hours. From Delhi, the Rajdhani Express reaches Raipur in roughly 15 hours. Trains also connect Raipur to Bhopal, Nagpur, and Bilaspur. The station is about 3 km north of the main city centre.
For destinations within Chhattisgarh, the state bus network fills in where trains don't reach. Buses to Jagdalpur (the gateway to Bastar) take around 6-7 hours on the main highway. Sirpur is about 80 km east — buses go regularly, or you can hire a car for the day. Private car hire from Raipur is a practical option for Barnawapara and the more remote temple sites.