Temples in Manali: Himachal Pradesh

Hadimba Devi - The Supreme Sacrifice

With a four-tiered, pagoda shaped roof and a front doorway carved with figures and symbols, the lovely temple stands as a mute tribute to the supreme artist who sacrificed the very hand with which he carved his paen in wood to the godess of the Dhoongri Temple Hadimba Devi, wife of Bhim - the Pandva. Every year in the month of May there is a major festival. At this very place, aeons ago, Bhim killed the strong and witfully cruel demon, Hadimb and married his sister Hadimba, shortly after. Hadimba expurgated her sins by performing a great ‘tapa’ and consequently began to be worshipped as a goddess. So delighted was the king with the artist, who had built the superb symbol of devotion that he cut off his hand in order to prevent the duplication of the temple elsewhere. Undaunted, the artist trained his left hand at the requets of the people, executed an even finer temole at Trilokinath in Chamba.

The people wer thrilled and as in a democracy, where power turns the head of the people acting as one, went one better thatn the king. They too, thought that such a masterpiece should not be repeated, and so cut off his head. The hapless, but devoted artist, had paid the supreme sacrifice to his art. Here, the valley narrows and the whispering of the deodars mingles with the tumult of the river. This temple is approachable by a foot path close to Hotel Rohtang Manas lu or via Hotel Kalpana, Devei Dyar and Chetna before Log Huts and it is almost 1.5 Km by road. A little higher up and 4 Km from Manali is a small but picturesque lake named after the sage Bhrigu.