Most Famous Hindu Temples in Himachal Pradesh

Himachal Pradesh is renowned as a breathtaking snowy destination in India, celebrated for its rugged terrains, snow-capped peaks, and verdant valleys. The inclusion of sacred rivers and stunning azure lakes ensures an unforgettable experience for tourists, earning Himachal the moniker "DEVBHOOMI" or "Land of the Gods." However, what may elude many is that Himachal Pradesh is equally revered as a charming and divine haven for devotees. This Devbhoomi holds far more treasures beyond its landscapes and rivers.

Beyond all the eye-catchy sights, Himachal Pradesh houses significant sacred holy places. These include hundreds of temples, monasteries and few churches as well, spread all over the state. Thus, the state has got its new synonym – “The land of gods” or “The adobe of god“. People from all across the world come to Himachal Pradesh to seek peace and spirituality.

In the last post- Must visit destinations of Himachal Pradesh, I discussed several popular destinations that I considered or one can consider while planning variety of trips to Himachal. So here, I come up with a list of prominent temple destinations in Himachal Pradesh.

Prominent Temple Destinations in Himachal Pradesh

Since the mythological period, Himachal Pradesh has been an ideal holy destination among Hindus. For the Hindus, Himachal is noted as “the land of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati (Sati or Shakti)“. There are 5 Shakti Peethas dedicated to Goddess Shakti and numerous temples dedicated to Lord Shiva.

If I talk about Shakti Peethas: There are 51 Shakti Peeths all across the Indian subcontinent (India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka) among which 5 of them are present in Himachal Pradesh. It is believed that the body parts of Goddess Shakti have fallen on the earth from the hands of Lord Shiva and so formed Shakti Peeths. Later on, the temples were created at those places and we started worshipping Goddess Shakti. There is a whole epic story behind what happened to the Goddess? Why her body parts have fallen on earth? But telling all this will surely take a whole post, so I’ll explain it may be some other day.

The most noteworthy things is that these Shakti Peeth temples are also popular among Sikh people. That’s why these temples experiences a high footfall of both the Hindu and the Sikh people.

Starting up with Shakti Peeths

1- Naina Devi Shakti Peeth: My First Pick of the Tour

Naina Devi temple is one of the 52 Shakti peeths; established on the hilltop at a distance of 65 km from Bilaspur (H.P.) or 24 km from Anandpur Sahib (Punjab). According to the Hindu mythology, the eyes of Goddess Shakti (Sati) were fallen here and hence the temple is known as Naina Devi temple.

As the temple is closer to Punjab, people from Anandpur Sahib and from rest of Punjab spend their weekends at Naina Devi. The reason behind the temple being a pilgrimage centre among Sikh is that in the mid of 18th century, Guru Gobind Singh Ji came here and did the Yagna in order to seek blessings of the goddess. And with the blessings of the goddess, he went on to fight with the Mughals.

If you look through the boundary walls of the temple, you’ll saw a whole new kind of landscape – shallow, flimsy green mountains and valley with the multiple lines of fog surrounding them as I saw.

2- Chintpurni Mata Temple

Chintpurni Mata temple is another Shakti Peeth temple present in Himachal Pradesh. This old temple is located in Una village of Una district, Himachal. Chintpurni Mata is also known as Chhinnamasta Devi. In Mythology, it is believed that the head of goddess Sati has fallen here. Adding to it, the presence of Chhinnamastika Devi temple is found in ancient Hindu Markandeya Purana also. According to the Purana, Chinnamastika was goddess Chandi who cut off her own head to quench the blood thirst of Jaya and Vijaya (her emanations).

That’s the reason why it is said that the goddess helps her devotees in eliminating stress, sufferings and wants. During your visit to the temple, you’ll see a long queue of devotees. I too had to stand in that line and wait for 2:30 hours to seek the blessings.

3- Chamunda Devi Temple

Chamunda Devi temple lies on the Palampur-Dharamshala road, Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh. It is believed that one leg of goddess Sati was fallen here. That’s why devotees across India come here to touch the feet (not actually allowed to touch) of Chamunda Devi and take blessings. The temple has a small garden and a small pond in the backyard. If you are going with small kids, then the kids can enjoy a small boat ride there. But no one is allowed to take photographs of the temple. In fact, in most of the temples.

4- Bajreshwari Devi Temple (Kangra Devi)

Bajreshwari Devi temple is another Shakti Peetha and a popular Hindu pilgrimage centre of Himachal Pradesh. It is located in the main Kangra market area. The temple is also known as Kangra Devi temple or Vajreshwari temple. According to the mythology, it is believed that the left part of the chest of goddess Shakti has fallen here.

Inside the temple, Bajreshwari Devi idol is present in the form of Pindi. The temple also houses a small temple of Bhairav However, if we see the history of the temple, then it has suffered a lot. The Mahmud of Ghazni attacked the temple in order to ruin it and build a mosque on it. But this could never happen. After that, the temple was restored in the reign of Mughal emperor Akbar, and in the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh (the leader of Sikh empire – North-west Indian subcontinent).

5- Jwala Devi Temple

Jwala Devi temple was the most astonishing Shakti Peeth temple for me and I recommend you all visit it once. The temple does not have any idol of god/goddess, instead, there is a flame coming out of a rock inside a cave type opening. These flames are not lighted up daily, but it is coming out naturally from the rock since ages. Amazing isn’t it?

Jwala Devi temple is located at a distance of 34 km in south Kangra, Himachal Pradesh. The temple is dedicated to the goddess Shakti (Jwala) who is present in the form of flames (Jwala). Actually, there are 9 flames representing goddess: Mahakali, Annapurna, Chandi, Hinglaj, Vindhya Vasini, Mahalakshmi, Saraswati, Ambika and Anji Devi. Talking about the structural design of the temple: It is the blend of Hindu-Sikh architecture. The dome and pillars of the temple are covered with the layer of gold.

So, these were the 5 Shakti peeths of Himachal Pradesh, a crucial part of the 5 Devi Darshan Yatra of Himachal. And now, let's take a closer look at the temples dedicated to Lord Shiva and other sacred shrines.

Lord Shiva Temples

1- Bijli Mahadev Temple

Bijli Mahadev is one of the most breath-taking temples I have ever visited in my life. I never thought that I could ever visit this sacred temple. Earlier, while preparing the itinerary, Bijli Mahadev was in the bucket-list but my parents were feeling reluctant to visit it. Nevertheless, we arrive at Kullu and my parents said to me, “Let’s visit this temple. If we can visit the Parashar Lake, then we can do this also.” And that’s how we make it true.

Bijli Mahadev temple lies at a distance of 14 km from Kullu and at an altitude of 2,460 m. By the name – Bijli Mahadev, the temple is dedicated to Lord “Shiva-Lingam” and has a connection with lightning. Yes, lightening…it is believed that every year, lightning falls on the Shiva-Lingam idol of this temple and shatters it into pieces in every direction. Then, the priest of the temple then recollect those pieces and restore it. The temple is highly significant in respect to the mythology. I will list this temple among the top temple destinations in Himachal Pradesh.

In order to reach the temple, one has to do the trek of 3 km from Kullu valley. Or you have to hire a tempo from Jana waterfall, Naggar, but the path from Jana waterfall is really hell. The driveway is full of hurdles and can affect your body.

2- Baijnath Temple (Temple of Healing)

Baijnath temple is another shrine temple of Himachal Pradesh perfectly located in the Dhauladhar range of the Himalayas in Baijnath (Kangra district). As the name suggests – Baijnath; Baijnath was the incarnation of Lord Shiva and is present in the form of Jyotirlinga. This jyotirlinga has a great importance in Hindu mythology as it is present in the form of Ardhnareshwar meaning half man and half woman. Ardhnarishwar or Baijnath is believed to be a doctor who can heal the miseries and the sufferings of people. Therefore, the temple is known as the temple of healing. So, putting Baijnath in the itinerary and visiting it was my supreme task.

3- Manimahesh Lake

Manimahesh Lake is located in Chamba district, at an altitude of 4080 m on Pir Panjal range of Himalayas. Basically, The lake presents stunning landscapes and mountains to the travellers. Manimahesh Lake is dedicated to Lord Shiva. Also, the lake is highly rich in mythology aspects. This shrine location is also known as Manimahesh Kailash or Shiva Bhumi (land of Shiva). In the month of August and September, the local people organize Yatra to Manimahesh Lake, so its the best time to visit the lake.

4- Jakhoo Temple and Sankat Mochan Temple, Shimla

There are two important temples dedicated to Lord Hanuman located in Shimla. The first one is Jakhoo temple and the other is Sankat Mochan temple of Shimla. Jakhoo temple is an ancient temple located in the beautiful Shivalik mountain range of Shimla. Since the temple is of Lord Hanuman, it gives shelter to a large community of Monkeys. Seeing the significance of Jakhoo temple, in 1950, Sankat Mochan temple is also made. Sankat Mochan temple was made in respect of a person – Baba Neeb Karori Ji Maharaj. The temple is located at about 5 km from Shimla.

5- Raghunath Temple, Kullu

Raghunath temple is a sacred temple present in the “Valley of God – Kullu”. Raghunath temple is dedicated to Lord Rama and Mata Sita. You can visit the temple, throughout the year, as the temple is present in the prime location of Himachal Pradesh. However, I will suggest you stick with the timings of the temple. If you missed the Aarti i.e. 7:30 AM Aarti, you will not be able to see the idol of Lord Rama.

6- Hidimba Temple, Manali

What comes first when we say Manali? The stunning landscapes and snow-clad mountains, obviously. But if you look as a devotee, then by saying Manali, the first temple that comes to your mind is Hidimba temple. Hidimba temple is located on the top of a Manali hill flourished by deodar forest.

The temple was built in the 16th century and holds a great significance from the time of Mahabharata (Indian epic). It is dedicated to the Goddess Hidimba who is also known as the wife of Bhima- the strongest among all the Pandavas in Mahabharata. It also houses another temple of Ghatotkach who was the son of Bhima and Hidimba. That’s why one cannot go away from Manali without visiting this temple.

7- Guru Vashisht Temple, Manali

Guru Vashisht temple is located near the banks of Beas River and 3km away from Manali. The importance of this temple rises more because of the presence of a sulphurous hot water spring. It is said that the water has healing power and can cure any skin related diseases/infection. Quite interesting naa. Moreover, the temple is dedicated to Lord Rama and the saint Vashisht.

There are separate bathrooms at the temple, where you can enjoy the water of this hot spring in the freezy weather of Manali. So, I recommend everyone to stop here and get refresh yourself in the hot water spring.

These are some of the most important temple destinations in Himachal Pradesh. I included these temple while planning an itinerary. However, I didn’t cover all these, some of these are still remaining to visit.

Hope my next visit to Himachal Pradesh will come soon. That’s it for the temple destinations in Himachal Pradesh. Some other devotional sites were covered by me during the visit like – monasteries and churches. Stay tuned with me to gather more information about this snowy destination Himachal Pradesh.