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| Historical Shakti Devi Wooden Temple |
Read in Hindi
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| Ancient Handmade Art and Drawings on the Wooden Wall |
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.
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| 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.
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-
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