Temples of Himachal

The Himalayas infuse spirituality and piety, and it is no wonder that Himachal Pradesh is also known as “Devabhoomi” or the Land of the Gods. The hilly terrain did not deter its people from building unique religious structures which represent the Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh and the Christian religions.

For Hindus, the Bajreshwari Temple in Kangra, the Baijnath Temple near Palampur, the Jwalamukhi temple near Kangra and the Chamunda Devi temple have historic significance as well. The Lakshmi Narayan temple is a group of six stone temples belonging to the 8th century, with Shiva and Vishnu as the presiding deities.

Another temple complex is located in Chamba where a cluster of temples was built to commemorate the visit of 84 sages to Bharmaur. Also located here is the Manimahesh Lake at 3,950 m where a small temple honours Lakshmi Devi in the form of Mahishasuramardhini.

Other important Hindu temples in Himachal Pradesh include the ancient stone temples in Mandi, the pagoda-styled temples around the Prashar Lake near Pandoh., the Hanogi Maa temple between Mandi and Kullu, the Koyla Maa temple near Sunder Nagar; the Raghunathji Temple in Kullu where deities from other temples congregate during Dussehra; the Bijli Mahadev Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva overlooking the Kullu –Parvati valleys; the Dhoongri temple dedicated to Hadimba Devi in Manali; the Bhimakali temple complex in Sarahan, the Jakhu and Sankat Mochan Temples in Shimla, the Naina Devi Temple near Bilaspur, the Chintpurni temple near Una; the Renuka Temple near the Renuka Lake; the Trilokpur cluster of shrines of different faiths; and the Baba Balak Nath temple in Deothsith, Hamirpur.

Paonta Sahib is revered by the Sikhs, as it is associated with Guru Gobind Singh. The Gurudwara has an idyllic location by the banks of the Yamuna River. Besides, Guru Nanak’s meditation site has also been commemorated by a Gurudwara at Manikaran near Kullu.