ANCIENT HINDU TEMPLES OF HIMACHAL PRADESH

 As clear from the name itself the Himachal Pradesh state of India is situated in the mountains of Himalayas.Himachal Pradesh is also known as devbhoomi. Apart from exciting Hill stations this land is famous for ancient Hindu temples and the whole land is very sacred.Its description comes in old manuscripts as Mahabharta. It is believed gods live here in the holy land of Himachal. There are so many temples of which so many are too old. On an average there are more than 2000 temples in Himachal. To describe all is very difficult. Here are some most famous temples.
 

Naina Devi.

It is one of the 51 Shakti peethas and eyes of Goddess Sati fell here. 

                        

Jawala jee (Jawalamukhi)

Here eternal flame burns in the caves. Like Vaishno Devi this temple is also a natural temple in the caves and is most probably the oldest one. Here tongue of Devi Sati fell.

Some believe the 9 flames here represents the 9 roops of devi Durga or seven divine sisters.


       

Mata Chitapurni

Temple is in the village Chintapurni of distt Una. It is also one of the 51 shakti peethas and also called chhinnamashtiska and forehead of Devi Sati fell here.

Baijanath

It is also called Baidyanath and is one of the 12 jyotirlingam. It is 16 kms from Palam and 56 kms from Dharamshala.

                

Sri Laxmi narayan Mandir 

This temple is famous for its architechture. 
Regarded as the oldest as well as the largest one in Chamba, Himachal Pradesh, the Laxmi Narayan Temple attracts a whole lot of visitors

           

Raghunath Temple

Raghunath Temple: In the 17th century, Raja Jagat Singh of Kulu is said to have committed a great sin, to atone for which, he sent a courtier to Ayodhya for a statue of Lord Raghunath - Lord Rama. He built this temple to house the image, and the shrine went on to be a popular site of worship.

Bhootnath Temple

Located in the heart of the city of Mandi this temple is as old as the city itself.

     

Baba Balaknath Temple

A cave temple of Baba Balak Nath is located in Deothsidh , in the Dhaulagiri Hills of Hamirpur, is a noted place of pilgrimage. Pepole come here to seek the blessings of Baba Balak Nath all the year round. It is situated on the border of Bilaspur (70 Kms), Hamirpur (30 Kms) and is well connected by roads from all sides. 

Shyamakall Temple

Also known as the Tarna Devi Temple, this temple is situated on the Tarna Hill, which rises above the town. Raja Syama Sen built the temple in the 17th century after a particularly trying time when the goddess gave him success.  

Bijali Mahadev

Bijli Mahadev is one of the most renowned temples in the Kullu region and is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The temple is quiet known for the high staff that occasionally draws lightening to it. The lightening destroys the Shivalinga here. However, the priests rejoin it with the help of butter. Devotees need to take a climb up to the temple. Two statues of the bull, nandi (Lord Shiva’s vehicle) adorns the door of the temple. The door frames themselves have exquisite carvings.

                               

Hadimba Temple

This temple is one of the most important temples in the region. This four story wooden temple is located in the middle of a forest called the Dhungiri Van Vihar. From the name of the forest parkland this temple derives its name. This temple was erected in 1553 and is dedicated to Goddess Hadimba.

Renuka ji Temple and Parshuram Tal 

This temple is dedicated to Renuka wife of rishi Jamadagni. He was once angry with her wife Renuka and asked his son to chop off his mothers head and obedient Bhagwan Parsuram chopped his mother’s head off. Pleased by his deed Jamadagni asked him to beg a reward and Parshuram begged his mother’s life back.

Located at the base of the Renuka Lake is the Parashurama Tal, a massive pool embodying, it is believed, Parashurama, who desired to spend eternity at his mother's feet. Mother and son are reunited every year at the great Renuka Fair, held on banks of the lake, in the month of November.The original temple of Renukaji, is said to have been built overnight by a contingent of Gurkhas in the early 19th century. Renuka Lake Legend has it that when the evil Sahasarjuna killed the sage Jamadagini and tried to abduct his wife Renuka, She flung herself into the water. The gods restored her to life and this like is regarded to be her embodiment. There is a row of temples along its banks, and a track encircles the waters. 

Chamunda Devi
The Chamunda Devi Temple is located 10 km west of Palampur in the Kangra area of Himachal Pradesh. Standing on the banks of the Ban Ganga river, the temple has an extremely sacred idol of Chamunda Devi. 

The location of the temple is also significant since it is believed to be the same spot where Maa Kali assassinated the generals of demon kings Shumbh and Nisumbh. The name of the two general were Chanda and Munda. It is their name that gave Goddess Kali the name of Chamunda.

 

  
 Bhima Kali Temple
Situated in Sarahan in Himachal Pradesh, the Bhimakali Temple is one of the 51 Shakti Peeths. The architecture of the temple is its prime highlight. The temple is wooden and presents a wonderful combination of the Hindu and Buddhist Temple style.
  

Tara Devi temple 
This temple is situated in shimla.




Hatkoti Temple 

Hatkoti Temple, located at a distance of 105 km east of Shimla, is dedicated to Goddess Durga. The main temple has a bronze image of eight armed Goddess Durga riding a lion with her spear piercing the heart of the demon Mahishasur. There is another temple dedicated to Lord Shiva in the complex. The architecture of both the temple is quiet similar and appear to be a work of the Gupta period. During the month of April and November every year a fair is held. At this point of time, the temple, which is usually very quiet, becomes a centre of attraction.



Bala Sundri Temple 
this temple is situated in Kala Amb area of Himachal Pradesh at the Border of Haryana state. This temple is on the road to Trilokpur.



            

Brijeshwari Temple

The Brajeshwari Devi Temple was once known for its great wealth. So much so that it attracted the attention of invaders time and again. Mahmud of Ghazni was the first of these raider who carried away the treasures in the year 1009 AD. The temple was destroyed and a mosque came up in its place.
Around three and a half decade later, the local king gained control over the area and the temple was reconstructed. The replica of the deity was reinstalled and gold and silver was filled again. Firoz Shah Tughlaq was the next one to ransack the temple. Later, it is also said that the great Mughal emperor Akbar visited this temple along with his deewan, Todar Mal. The emperor contributed a lot to restore the temple to its former grandeur. The earthquake of 1905, in recent times, completely destroyed the temple, however the activeness of the Kangra Restoration committee resulted in a new temple built that very same year.

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