Bhimakali Temple

Introduction to the Bhimakali Temple

The Bhimakali Temple is a famous pilgrimage spot in the village of Sarahan, Himachal Pradesh. It is one of the 51 sacred Shakti Peeths. The presiding deity of the temple is Durga, locally known as Bhimakali. The Bhimakali Temple lies at an altitude of 2150 meters. It is famous for its intrinsic wooden architecture. This kind of architecture is found nowhere else in the other hill stations of the country. She is the family deity of the Bushahr Rulers of Sarahan.

Sarahan is mentioned as Shontipur in the Puranas. It is also known as the Gateway to Kinnaur and Spiti Valley, and it is near the old Indo-Tibetan Road.

Legend of the Bhimakali Temple

There are many legends about the Bhimakali Temple. According to the legends, Banasur, Prahlad's great-grandson and King Bali's son, ruled this place. He was an ardent devotee of Krishna. During a fight between Krishna and Banasura, King Bali died. Pradhymun, son of Krishna, ruled this place. Thus, the temple received the name.

Another legend explains that after Sati's self-immolation in Daksha's Yagna, Vishnu severed her corpse into 51 pieces with his divine Chakra to calm Shiva's anger. The places where the parts fell are Shakti Peeths. Sati's ear supposedly fell where the present Bhimakali Temple stands.

The Architecture of the Bhimakali Temple

The Bhimakali Temple complex sprawls over one acre and has two towers. The first tower was damaged in the 1905 earthquake and is no longer in use. The second tower was constructed in 1943, replicating the old one which houses the main temple. The Bushahr Dynasty is said to have built the Bhimakali Temple in the 13th century.

The temple complex has four gateways. Each of the gates is unique. The main entry gate to the Bhimakali Temple complex is richly carved and gold-plated. The second one is carved from wood and has silver foil. The third gate provides access to the Raghunath temple. The fourth gate is a stone gate covered with slate, known as Shri Dwar.

The main Bhimakali Temple is a three-storied complex built of wood. It features a blend of Tibetan and the local Pahari architectural styles. The temple has unique carvings, slanted slate roofs, pagodas, golden towers, and six silver-coated doors.

The Bhimakali Temple enshrines a 210-year-old golden image of Bhimakali on its top floor. The top floor is open for worship only during Dussehra. But devotees worship the deity on the second floor daily. On the second floor, many idols of other deities surround the main deity. At the bottom, the icon of Parvati is present. The lower floor remains closed most of the time. It is open only during the visit of the Bushahr family.

The Bhimakali Temple houses Raghunath, Narsingh, Lankravir, and the Hanuman temples.

Raghunath temple is an eight hundred-year-old temple. It is above the edge of the second courtyard. The temple has one rectangular window and pierced wall openings for light and ventilation. Lankravir is the guardian deity to the presiding deity Bhimakali. It is said that human sacrifices took place in the Lankravir temple until the mid 19th Century. It houses a dark hole that has steep steps which lead to darkness. Shri Hanuman temple is near the Shanti Kunj. He is in a wooden structure. There is a special enclosure of a Shikara temple dedicated to Narsingh.

People can see various carved idols on the balconies, balcony railings, and shutters. Carved wooden brackets support the balconies. Highly decorative wooden patterns are found on the external facades of the twin towers. The wooden chimes in the Bhimakali Temple produce a humming sound when they oscillate in the wind.

Festivals in the Bhimakali Temple

The Bhimakali Temple celebrates Navratri, Shivratri, Janmashtami, Ramnavmi, Makar Sankranti, and Diwali with great pomp. It conducts the Dussehra fair for three days every year. Rath Yatra attracts huge crowds of devotees. During Rath Yatra, the idol of Raghunath is taken out on a procession to the Padam Palace. During Dussehra, animal sacrifice is performed at Sarahan village as part of the festivities.