My Journey to Historical Shakti Devi Wooden Temple Chhatrari (Chamba) (Pictures)

Shakti Devi Temple, Chhatrari, Chamba, wooden Temple

Historical Shakti Devi Wooden Temple

My visit to Bharmour in Chamba was filled with lots of excitement and thrill because of the tough terrain and narrow roads. The most difficult drive was to reach Chhatrari to see the Historical Shakti Devi Temple. Chhatrari village is situated 40 KM from Chamba (HP) on the Chamba-Bharmour Road. I decided to visit this place on the return journey from Bharmour. The road to Chhatrari is a steep ascend and you need to be very cautious while driving on this road. However, once you reach there, it is a paradise and you find it very peaceful. The temple is situated at a distance from where the road ends and you need to travel through the village to see the temple.

Front View 680 AD Historical Shakti Devi Temple

Chhatrari is situated on the old by foot road to Manimahesh which is not used nowadays because of the direct road connectivity. Chhatrari village is situated at the top of a hill and you enjoy a great view of the hills around and small-small villages situated on the hills opposite to it. By visiting this place, you come to know about the tough life of the people of upper Chamba and how was their life before road connectivity. The good point about this village and the people of this area is that they have still preserved their old traditions and culture.

Step Fields, Fields, Hills, Chamba, Himachal, Chhatrari

Step Fields at Chhatrari Village

This temple was constructed in 680 AD by Raja Meru Varman and it is made of wood and slate roof. Shakti Devi Temple at Chhatrari is one of the oldest temples in the area and we can observe great artwork on wooden walls. This temple is situated at a height of 6000 feet. Chhatrari is a village belonging to Gaddi population which is the main and oldest natives of this area.

Ancient Handmade Art and Drawings on the Wooden Wall

The main attraction of this 680 AD temple is ancient handmade art and drawings on its main wooden wall which provides us a chance to get a glimpse of artwork prominent in 680 AD. This temple is the oldest temple in the area and the only temple made of wood.

The whole of the temple was believed to be constructed by a craftsman Gugga without any help from others. The main murti in the temple is of Maa Shakti made of brass and it is 4 feet 6 inches long.

Main Statue of Maa Shakti at Temple

Inside the temple, we can clearly see the statue of Maa Shakti who saved the lives of pilgrims to Manimahesh by killing the demons who were eating alive the pilgrims. The new road route to Manimahesh which cross adjacent to the bank of Ravi is much below this temple; therefore, nowadays very fewer numbers of people visit this temple.

At the temple, we can also see the masks made of real demons' skin as claimed by the locals. In the month of September, a fair is held at the temple in which local dress as demons by wearing the real masks present in the temple. This fair is known as Chhatrari fair or Shakti Devi Fair.

Wooden Temple, Rooftop, Shakti Devi temple,

Overall, the visit to the ancient Shakti Devi Temple at Chhatrari was very exciting and enlightening and I will definitely want to visit this again in the future.

Watch the Video Presentation on Chhatrari Shakti Temple-

Comments

Beautiful Mahakaleshwar Pandoi Devta ji Temple at Pandoa (Shimla)

You are aware of my road trip on the stretch Nalagrah-Ramshehr-Arki-Basantpur-Luhri -ANNI. When from Basantpur-Tatapani Road, we take a right turn on MDR 22 towards Luhri and Rampur then we follow the Satluj river continuously and get a chance to see communities living near Satluj river and in this valley. We also get a chance to see their culture and beliefs. Today, I am going to talk about the Pandoi Devta temple situated just a few meters away from this road at Pandoa village. Himachal Pradesh can be known as a place of thousands of deities; therefore, we say it the land of Gods. This temple is not visible from the road and you need to take an unpaved road that is 300 meters long to reach this temple. Pandoi Devta temple is a set of one main temple and two Kothis. At this place, we can find the same style of Shivlinga as we find at the Ujjain; therefore, this place is also known as Mahakaleshwar Pandoi Devta ji Shahib. It is believed that this Shivlinga was created by Pan...

Dera Baba Murad Shah Ji (Nakodar ) Pictures and Detail

Punjab is a state of Saints and Fakirs, therefore, we find many famous places of religious belief. Dera Baba Murad Shahji is one similar famous religious place situated in the Nakodar town of Punjab. Every year millions of people from across Punjab and other parts of the world come to get the blessing of Baba Murad Shah and Sai Gulam Ladi Shah. Both are believed to be Sufi saints and are revered by followers from various religious backgrounds, including Muslims and Hindus. The shrine of Baba Murad Shah is a popular pilgrimage site and attracts devotees seeking blessings, healing, and spiritual solace. Devotees visit the shrine to pay their respects, offer prayers, and seek the saint's intercession for their wishes and desires. It is believed that Baba Murad Shah has the power to fulfil the heartfelt prayers of his devotees. The atmosphere around the shrine is often filled with spirituality, devotion, and a sense of tranquillity. Baba Murad Shah's teachings revolve aro...

Maa Vaishno Devi visit and Pictures

It is always a very great experience to visit Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in J&K and this time also, I am feeling very relaxed and energetic after getting the blessings of Maa Vaishno. Every year, Lakhs of Vaishno Devi devotees come to visit shrine from various parts of India and world. Last year, approximately 85 lakh people visited the shrine to show their respect for Devi Vaishno, all this clearly show the faith of Indian people on the Goddess Vaishno Devi. It is very easy for any person to visit Mata Vaishno Devi and there are multiple options for reaching temple. Devotees are first required to reach katra town which is 52 KM away from Jammu Town. Direct bus services are available to Katra from all major North Indian towns and capital New Delhi. Nearest Railway station and airport are situated in Jammu; though, Katra-Jammu railway line is likely to become operational soon. For visiting shrine, people reach Katra town in J&K from where shrine is just 12 KM away. For reaching te...

Rameshwaram Pictures 2 (Tamil Nadu)

This is my second set of pictures of famous South Indian town of Rameshwaram. To watch earlier set of pictures of Rameshwaram please visit Rameshwaram Pictures (Tamil Nadu) . Rameswaram city has great significance for all Hindus because one of Jyotirlinga of Lord Shiva is situated here. Rameshwaram visit is also significant because of Lord Rama visit to this place. Rameshwaram is a beautiful Island city which offers many attractive and beautiful natural locations. People can also visit Ram Setu, an upward structure in Sea connecting India and Sri Lanka which is believed as a Setu (bridge) constructed by Rama to reach Sri Lanka for fighting Sri Lankan demon King Ravana. Below watch second set of pictures.

Information and Glimpse of International Shivratri Festival Mandi (Himachal Pradesh)

In the previous post, I shared with information and pictures of the ancient Bhootnath Temple of Lord Shiva in Mandi town . Today, I will be giving you an opportunity to see the glimpse of famous and international Shivratri festival held every year in Mandi near the Bhootnath temple. This fair lasts for seven days and starts on the Shivratri day. This fair is attending by hundreds of local deities and millions of people from across the world. It was a great experience for me to attend this fair because I never saw such fair before in my life. If anyone wants to get the glimpse of the life of Pahari people then he needs to visit this fair. Local deities (Gods and Goddesses) from the temples situated in or around Mandi are invited to attend this festival and some deities travel for many days to reach this spot. During this festival, we can see the use of traditional musical instruments like Karnal, dhol etc. Mandi is also known as small Kashi because of the 81 old temple...

I Travel For You

Search This Blog