In our previous blog of this series we talked about the famous temples of Himachal Pradesh. Here is our second post on the Famous Temples of Himachal Pradesh. If you haven’t read the first post yet, it is here Famous Temples of Himachal Pradesh – Part One
Kamleshwar Mahadev Temple
According to Trigveda, there is a famous Kalinath Kamleshwar Mahadev temple on the banks of the Beas in Kaleshwar of Kangra Dehra sub-division.
The story is that in Satyuga, in the Shivalinga hills of Himachal, the deity sage Muni was troubled by the terror of Dettya Jaladhar.
So all Lord Shri Hari solved this problem. All the gods, sages and sages gave their own powers, from this Mahakali was born.
She annihilated Jaladhar’s other dattas too in a few moments. According to the legend, after the clash of castes, when Kali Mata’s anger did not subside, Lord Shiva himself arrived.
According to the legend, he lay down on the battlefield and an angry mother’s feet fell on him. As soon as Goddess Kali realized this, she got completely calm, but she regretted this mistake again and again, that is why she wandered on the Himalayas for years to repent.
One day she sat on the banks of the Beas river in Kaleshwar and started doing meditation of Lord Shiva. Bholenath( Lord Shiva ) appeared to Goddess Kali at that time and established Jyotirlinga at that place. Since then this place is known as Kali and Shiva i.e. Kali Nath Kaleshwar Mahadev.
Triloknath Temple
According to Himachal Pradesh’s tourism, Triloknath deity is considered as Lord Shiva among Hindus. The Triloknath temple was built by the Pandavas.
According to the belief, Padmasambhava came here in the eighth century and he worshiped at this place. But according to the local people, many secrets related to this temple remain intact, due to which the curtain has never been raised.
One such famous story is associated with the king of Kullu. It is said that he wants to take this idol of God with him however the idol became so heavy that it could not be lifted.
A mark on the right leg on the marble idol is believed to be the mark was made by the sword of a soldier of Kullu during that time. The temple is considered to be the holiest pilgrimage place after Mansarovar on Kailash.
Manikaran Gurudwara
Manikaran Sahib is located in the Parvati Valley on the banks of the Parvati River in the Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh.
It is known as a very important pilgrimage site for both Sikhs and Hindus. This gurdwara was also mentioned in the 12th Guru Khalsa by the Jian Gian Sikh.
Manikaran Sahib Gurdwara is considered very sacred for Sikhs and Hindus. Each religion has its own different reasons behind its belief.
Hindus believe that Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati lived here for about 1100 years. According to the Sikhs, Guru Nanak Ji performed many miracles here. Manikaran Sahib is one of the major religious places of Kullu.
Bhootnath Temple
This temple was built by Raja Ajay Sen in 1527. This temple has been established for Lord Shiva. According to scholars, Raj Madhav, who used to be the king at that time, had come to this temple and worshiped before Shivratri and prayed here.
Every year the festival of Shivratri is celebrated with great pomp, which is attended by thousands of devotees and the festival lasts for a whole week.
People believe that during this time local deities visit here and that is why there is a lot of fanfare in this temple.
The state is known for its natural beauty and for its famous temples. The temple of Baba Bhootnath have been built by Raja Agrasen in the 16th century.
Read also: Bhootnath Temple: Dedicated to Lord Shiva
Chamunda Devi Temple
Chamunda Devi was built by Umed Singh in the year 1762. Chamunda Devi Temple is about 700 years old with a cave-like structure on the back side, which is considered a symbol of Lord Shiva.
Chamunda Devi Temple is also known as Chamunda Nandikeshwar Dham which is the house of Lord Shiva and Shakti. Lord Hanuman and Bhairav guard the front gate of this temple and they are considered to be the protectors of the Goddess.
Thousands of years ago, two demons named Shumbh and Nishumbha ruled the earth. They committed so many atrocities on the earth that due to this, the gods and humans worshiped the mighty Goddess Durga, then Goddess Durga said that she would definitely protect them from these demons.
After this, Durga ji incarnated in the name of Kaushiki, after this the messengers of Shumbha and Nishumbha saw Mata Kaushiki. Both said to Shumbha and Nishumbha that you are the king of everyone, you have everything but you should also have a beautiful queen who is the most beautiful in the whole world.
Hearing these words of the messengers, Shumbha and Nishumbha sent one of their messengers to Mata Kaushiki and said to tell Kaushiki that Shumbha and Nishumbha are the kings of the three worlds and they want to make you queen.
On the orders of Shumbh and Nishumbh, the messenger did the same. Kaushiki listened to the messenger and said that I know that both of them are very powerful, but I have taken a vow that I will marry the one who will defeat me in the war.
When the messenger went and told this to Shumbh and Nishumbh, they sent two messengers Chand and Mund to the goddess and said that grab her hair and bring it to us.
When Chand and Munda went there and asked Goddess Kaushiki to accompany them, they got angry and assumed their black form and killed the demons.
After cutting off the heads of these two demons, Goddess Chamunda (Kali) brought them to Kaushiki, due to which Goddess Kaushiki said that you have killed these two demons, now your fame will be in the name of Chamunda in the whole world.
Read also: Chamunda Devi Temple : Famous Holy Shrine
Anjani Mahadev Temple
According to mythological beliefs, the place where Shivling is made. That land is considered to be the place where Lord Hanuman’s mother Anjani is worshipped.
And that is why this huge Shivling is called Anjani Mahadev. Baba Bholenath and Shivling is about 30-40 feet. There is such a belief that this is the second Shivling to be made on earth by fasting of God.
After reaching Solang Valley from Manali, Anjani Mahadev’s journey of about 2 kms. here the whole journey is covered by walking on the mountains or by horse. Along with Shivling, there is Baba’s hut under the mountain.
Bijli Mahadev Temple
There is a very mysterious Shiva temple in Kullu, Himachal Pradesh. No one has been able to solve this mystery till date.
Situated on high hills, this temple also has the confluence of Vyas Parvati and Vyas river. Every 12 years on this temple Lightning falls in. But even after this the temple is not harmed in any way.
According to the certified legend, the giant ghat here is in the form of a snake which was killed by Mahadev. It is said that every 12 years Lord Indra drop Lightning by taking orders from Bholenath.
Due to the fall of lightning, the Shivling of the temple is broken. After which the priests of the temple apply butter on the fractured Shivling as an ointment. So that Mahadev gets relief from pain.
Read also: Bijli Mahadev: Lightning Falls in this Temple of Himachal every 12 years
Mani Mahesh
It is situated at a distance of 85 km from Chamba city of Himachal Pradesh. There is a small holy lake named Manimahesh Temple or Manimahesh.
It is situated at an altitude of about 13,500 feet above sea level. This lake is in the east direction. The mountain is called Kailash. The height of its skyscraper Himachal peak is about 18,564 feet above sea level.
Chamba Manimahesh Bharmour has special significance. It is believed that Manimahesh Yatra is incomplete without taking bath in Brahmani Kund.
It is not known when the Manimahesh Yatra started, but according to the proven beliefs, this is true that when Guru Gorakhnath was going with his disciples on Manimahesh Yatra, then they stayed in Brahmapur.
Brahmapur which was considered to be the abode of Mother Brahmani. But Guru Gorakhnath has decided to stay here with his Nathu and Chorasi Sindho.
They stayed here with the permission of Lord Bholenath, but when Mother Brahmani returned from her excursion, seeing the bare Sindho at her abode, she got furious.
Only after listening to the request of Lord (Shiva) Bholenath, the mother allowed them to rest for the night and herself she went to a place called Sahar which was 3 kms away, from where she could not see the naked sindhos.
But when the mother came back, she saw that 84 Siddhas had assumed the form of a linga there, which is still present in this eighty-four temple complex.
Read also: Manimahesh Kailash Peak: Home of Lord Shiva
Hidimba Devi Temple
Hidimba Devi Temple is located in Manali in Himachal Pradesh. It is an ancient cave-temple dedicated to Hidimbi Devi or Hirma Devi. Whose description is found in the Mahabharata as the wife of Bhima.
According to an inscription in the temple, this temple was built by Raja Bahadur Singh in 1553 AD. This temple built in the style of pagoda is very beautiful.
This temple is situated on a hill near the city of Manali. Tourists coming to Manali definitely come here. Surrounded by deodar trees, the beauty of this temple is made after seeing the snowfall.
The temple was built by the ruler of Kullu, Bahadur Singh (1546 – 1559) in 1553. Hidimba Devi Temple, located in Manali in Kullu, Himachal Pradesh, is very ancient and exciting. Hidimba ceased to be demonic after she married Panduputra Bhima.
She became human. And later became a goddess from human. Whatever may have been the original place of Hidimba, but the place where she has been divined is Manali only.
Read also: Hadimba Devi Temple: Beautiful four storey wooden temple
Manu Temple
Manu Temple is considered to be a major temple situated in an old Manali area which attracts lakhs of tourists from across the people every year. Temple is considered a very sacred temple for the people of the city.
It attracts tourists from different parts of the world.It is the only established temple of sage Manu and this temple is surrounded by lush green plants and greenery in the form of deodar trees.
In order to reach this temple one has to go through slippery leafy paths. The composition of this temple is made of stone and the beauty of the indigenous deities on the walls. There are many very beautiful stone figures around the Manu temple.
Read also: Manu Temple: Dedicated to sage Manu
