The Bhimakali Temple in Himachal   by Rosy Vohra

Solan is the gateway to the hilly terrains of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh flush with a beautiful landscape and picturesque panoramas. The passageway onwards towards Kinnaur is simply enchanting and the travel extremely safe and comfortable except of course the deep gorges. The lands where once the Gods dwelled are now open for the tourists from across the globe. The entire road route is on the much popular NH-22 also called the old Hindustan-Tibet Road begins from Ambala in Haryana and travels all the way through Solan, Shimla, Narkanda, Kaza, Tobu, Rohru, Chopal, Manali and ends at Kaurik on the Kinnaur-Spiti-Tibet border. However it bifurcates at Jeori, about 3 hours from Shimla where one leads to Sarahan whilst the other goes towards Manali. The narrow road built by the British in the late 19th century is capped by the awestruck cliffs on its roofs lead to the township of Rampur Bushahr. The orchids of apples, apricots, pears, walnuts, figs on one side and the green colored rapt Satluj River on the other adore the NH-22. The much known hydroelectric Nathpa Jhakri Project also falls in this area and is built over River Satluj.

The 800 year old, Shri Bhimakali temple is dedicated to the presiding deity of the rulers of Himachal Pradesh, the much revered mother Goddess Durga in the form of Goddess Bhimakali,. The old temple is presently locked while the new one was constructed in the 1920s by Maharaja Ram Singh. The temple stands atop the hillock in the tiny hamlet called Sarahan. The place is home to a small population of about 1200 and has the distinction of being the erstwhile capital of the rulers of Rampur Bushahr and comes while on the way to Kinnaur. The temple is a sprawling complex with other principal deities namely Narsinghji, Lord Raghunathji and Lanka Veerji popularly referred to as Patal Bhairvi Ji, the divine guardian of the deity of Shri Bhimakali.

The temple built on the lines of a Pagoda, the distinctive Tibetan style architecture gently blending with the Hindu 'Shikhars' style is a five storeyed wooden structure. It has six well silver doors carved on mythological themes and a golden rise. The golden idol of the virgin deity is enshrined on the top storey while Goddess Parvati, the divine escort of Lord Shiva is consecrated on the storey just below. This temple which till the British rule was a witness to human sacrifices is the only one of its kind in the Himachal to be cared for by the Brahmin priests instead of the customary local villagers.

Shri Bhimakali temple stands regally against the backdrop of the lofty peaks of Himalayas amidst the stately deodars and the silent forests of the pine and the flowering jacaranda trees at an elevation of 1,920 meters. The place is a wealth of medicinal herbs of therapeutic value and is dotted with wild flowers.

The icons of the mother Goddess made of 8 metals (astadhatu) are adorned with silver plates. The Devi was consecrated in the temple in 1962 and is surrounded with a Parikrama path. The reverberence of the temple bells, dazzling fire lit lamps and echoing of the evening prayers called aarti in the evening is a delightful sight, not easily forgotten for any human being.

About the Author

Rosy Vohra works for buy sell old books the booksellers india You can contact her at rosy_vohra@rediffmail.com