Hadimba Temple: Ancient cave temple dedicated to Hidimbi Devi, wife of Bheem & mother of Ghatothkach
14 Feb 2022 16:44:33
The Hidimba Devi Temple, locally known as Dhungari Temple, is a famous temple located in Manali. You might recognise this temple from the movie 'Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani’, in which the 4 main characters are seen visiting the temple on the first day of their trip. The temple became even more popular among tourists after being shown in the famous movie.
History | The Hadimba Temple is dedicated to Hidimba, the wife of the second brother of the Pandavas, Bheem. Hidimba was a demoness who lived in this region along with her brother Hidimb. She had taken a vow that she will marry whoever could defeat Hidimb in a fight. During this time period, the Pandavas were in exile. The second brother of the Pandavas, Bheem, in a quest to save the villagers from tortures of Hidimb, was able to killed him.
Festivals | In Navaratri, the residents of Manali worship Hidimba Devi in this temple. During the festival of Dussehra, the idol of Devi Hidimba is taken to Dhalpur Maidan from where she blesses the ceremonial horse. This is called as "Ghor Puja".
This is an ancient cave temple dedicated to Hidimbi Devi - wife of Bheem, and the mother of Ghatothkach. The cave temple is located amidst the snow-clad Manali hills. Surrounded by stunning cedar trees, this wonderful shrine is built on a rock which is believed to be in the image of Goddess Hidimba herself.
Locally known as Dhungari Temple, the construction style of the Hidimba Devi temple is completely different from that of any of the other temples here, having wooden doorways, walls, and a cone-shaped roof. It is an appropriate dedication to its deity Hadimba.
Architecture | The Hadimba Temple was built in the Pagoda style, and is 4-storeyed with flat roofs. The topmost roof is conical in shape, and is metal clad. The other roofs are covered with timber tiles. The temple is made mostly of wood & stones. There also exist wooden doors here which are intricately carved, along with a 24 metres high wooden 'shikhar' / tower above the temple.
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The main door of this temple has carvings depicting Goddess Durga. The base of the temple is made up of whitewashed stones. The interior of the temple is built in a simplistic manner. The walls are detailed with carvings and figures of Hindu Goddesses, animals etc. Interestingly, the temple doesn’t contain any idol of Goddess Hidimba. But the sanctum sanctorum does consist of the rock where Hidimba sat for meditation.
A few metres away from the Hadimba Temple lies a shrine which is dedicated to Hidimba and Bhima's son Ghatotkacha. It consists of a stone block which has an impression of what is supposedly Goddess Hidimba's foot.
History | The Hadimba Temple is dedicated to Hidimba, the wife of the second brother of the Pandavas, Bheem. Hidimba was a demoness who lived in this region along with her brother Hidimb. She had taken a vow that she will marry whoever could defeat Hidimb in a fight. During this time period, the Pandavas were in exile. The second brother of the Pandavas, Bheem, in a quest to save the villagers from tortures of Hidimb, was able to killed him.
Hence, he won Hidimba’s had for marriage. Bheem and Hidimba had a son named Ghatotkach. He died fighting for the Pandavas in the Kurukshetra battle. A shrine dedicated to him is built near the Hadimba temple.
Bheem along with the Pandavas, started their journey from Manali, & Hidimba stayed back to look after the kingdom. She is known for being an extremely kind and just ruler. When her son Ghatotkacha came to age, Hidimba left the throne to him.
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She then went into the forest to dedicate the rest of her life to meditation. It is said that Hidimba sat on a rock, and did hard penance so as to lose her identity as a demoness. After several years of meditation, her prayers were finally answered. She was crowned with the glory of being a goddess. In order to honour her penance, the Hidimba Devi Temple was built on this rock in back in the year 1553.
Festivals | In Navaratri, the residents of Manali worship Hidimba Devi in this temple. During the festival of Dussehra, the idol of Devi Hidimba is taken to Dhalpur Maidan from where she blesses the ceremonial horse. This is called as "Ghor Puja".