HIDIMBA TEMPLE, MANALI.

HIDIMBA TEMPLE, MANALI.

HUMBLE REQUEST TO EVERYONE :-

(Not to pollute the nature beauty)

-Be part of the solution, not the pollution.
Just
-Forests are green, oceans are blue;
keep the Earth clean, for me and you.

Hidimba Is located in :-

India(+91),
Himachal Pradesh,
Manali (175131).
Kullu (175101).

DISTANCE :-
Kullu to Manali - (40.5km) & (1hour)
Manali to Hidimba - (2.2km) & ( 9min)

Timing of the temple– 8 AM to 6 PM (all days of the week)

HOW TO REACH HIDIMBA :-
• By Air – The nearest airport is at Bhuntar, which is 10 km south of Kullu.
• By Rail – The nearest rail head is at Jogindernagar (95 km)
• By Bus – Manali has a good road link with Kullu , Shimla, Delhi, Chandigarh, Mandi, Manikaran, Naggar, Bajaura, and Dharamshala.The Hadimba Temple is easily accessible to the visitors and the tourists in Himachal Pradesh by roadways. They can avail a bus service to reach the temple.
-You can take bus directly to Manali.
- After that u can take private taxi ,or govt taxi or can go walking .

INTRODUCTION:-

The time has flown by, but the memories of mine visit to Manali, are still fresh in my mind, locals believe that Hidimba Devi still protects the forest and is still around like a guiding star for the people there .Those beautiful, snow-covered peaks, picturesque valleys, cascading waterfalls and lush green forests—everything about Himachal is magical, a complete tourist’s paradise. It felt like the alluring beauty and the magnificence of the scenic landscapes had cast a spell on me.
This is the one place that created lasting memories in mind that I’ll cherish all my life was the Hidimba Devi Temple in Manali. Also known as the Dhungiri temple, this magnificent shrine dedicated to Hidimba Devi. The temple is surrounded by a cedar forest called Dhungiri Van Vihar at the foot of the Himālayas. The sanctuary is built over a huge rock jutting out of the ground which was worshiped as an image of the deity.

No wonder that the presiding deity of the temple is also known as the Forest Goddess or the Goddess of Nature. On a typical summer day, you will find snaking queues of devotees in and around the temple complex. While devotees from all over the country are a regular here, locals pray to the Goddess mostly in case of a natural calamity.
According to locals and legendary related to temple, animal sacrifices are still made here in her honor.It is also believed that when the Raja ordered the construction of temple he was so awestruck by the beauty and architecture that he ordered to cut the right arm of the artist so that he could not copy the masterpiece again.

ARCHITECTURE :-

The wooden porch with spooky interiors featuring skeletons of horned-animals.
The temple was built by Maharaja Bahadur Singh in 1553, and has stood quite some tests of time. An intricate four-storey structure, it looks like a deserted cabin in the woods if there is nobody around. Look closer and you will spot its exteriors adorned with sacrificial remains of animals, includings goats, buffaloes and antelopes. Animal sacrifice is still a norm at the temple, especially when a new ruler is coronated. While it does sound rudimentary, you will know that practices like this are a part of this region’s culture, which is slowly embracing change.

The Hidimba Devi Temple has intricately carved wooden doors and a 24 meters tall wooden "shikhar" or tower above the sanctuary.The tower consists of three square roofs covered with timber tiles and a fourth brass cone-shaped roof at the top. The earth goddess Durga forms the theme of the main door carvings.
Also depicted are animals, foliate designs, dancers, scenes from Lord Krishna’s life and Navagrahas. The temple base is made out of whitewashed, mud-covered stonework. An enormous rock occupies the inside of the temple, only a 7.5 cm (3 inch) tall brass image representing goddess Hidimba Devi. A rope hangs down in front of the rock, and according to a legend, in bygone days religious zealots would tie the hands of "sinners" by the rope and then swing them against the rock.

According to Hira Nand Shastri this temple is an antique of about 500 years old. There is no idol is cherished and only a foot print on a stone has been kept. It was Raja Bahadur Singh who built the temple is serve by a Mela held on the first of Savan annually named as ‘Bahadur Singh Re Jatar.’ This Mela is also called as Saroohni

HISTORY:-
There have been many theories about the hidimba devi according to some folks

- In their wanderings the Pandavas, the five brothers of the great Indian Epic Mahabharata, along with their mother, after escaping from the wax house unhurt came to the territory of Hadimba Rakshash. One of the brothers Bhima fell in love with Hadimba, the sister of the ruler.
Bhima could marry her only after killing the brother. Then later the pair-lived in the valley for about a year after which Bhima joined his brothers and mother. Eventually Hadimba gave birth to a son who was named ‘Ghatotkachh’. Till Ghatotkachh was a minor in age Hadimba looked after her country and then she retired to the inner hills, for meditation, when her son Ghatotkachh, a great warrior took over the country. Ghatotkachh was a good administrator. Dhungri was the place near Manali where Hadimba had resorted for meditation. There a temple of Hadimba in ‘pagoda’ style was raised and she became Devi Hadimba. Hadimba Devi had supernatural powers owing to ‘tapashya’ and was very much kind to her people.

-Devotees believe that the temple stands at the site, where Hindu deity Hadimba (Hidimba) meditated. This reference connects the site to the days of Mahabharata. Going by that the forest around must have been insanely dense than it is now, and home to Hadimba, who was born in a rakshasa (demon) family. She married Bhim, one of the five Pandava brothers, as mentioned in the epic itself. Going by the same story, the forest around the temple was terrorised by her brother, Hidimb, who was killed by Bhim in a fierce battle. While you may not believe the story surrounding it, the temple and the vibe around it is nothing less than mystical.

-Hidimbi was supposed to have lived there with her brother Hidimb, and not much is known about their parents. Born into a Rakshasa family, Hidimba vowed to marry one who would defeat her brother Hidimb, who was supposed to be very brave and fearless. During the Pandava's exile, when they visited Manali; Bhima, one of the five Pandavas, killed Hidimb. Thereafter, Hidimba married Bhima and gave birth to their son Ghatotkacha.
-About seventy metres away from the temple, there is a shrine dedicated to Goddess Hidimba's son, Ghatotkacha, who was born after she married Bhima. The most surprising feature of the temple or what believers could call the most reassuring feature of the temple is the fact that inside the temple the imprint of the feet of the Goddess carved on a block of stone is worshipped.

_ It is believed that during the later phase of her life, Hidimba would practise rigorous tapasyaand she was eventually blessed with supernatural powers. She turned into a ‘Devi’ or a goddess and became the protector of the region. What made Hidimba different from other demonesses was her human nature. She wasn’t an evil force like her brother Hidimb; she was kind and helpful. Locals who looked up to her built a temple in her name. Today, Hidimba Devi is worshiped as a deity and her temple has become one of the most popular tourist attractions in Manali. However, it’s not just the story of the demoness turned Goddess that fascinated me, but also the unfathomable beauty of the temple which left me mesmerised. I have been to many shrines across the country and abodes of Devi, but this Pagoda-style architecture of an ancient Hindu temple was something unique and new.

VISIT TEMPLE :-

September to April if you wish to beat the crowds; else, it stays open all through the year. Winters often bring heavy snowfall to Manali, and the temple makes for a quite a stunning sight then. The ritual arti here is not something that you would want to miss.

If you do not find peace in the temple complex, the surrounding forest is where you should spend some hours. While the story of Hadimba Devi Temple can have atheists raising eyebrows, the idea of a goddess guarding the forests is nothing less than inviting, for this world needs more such protectors.