Hidimba Devi Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Kullu-Manali Airport (KKU) at Kullu (Bhuntar) is the nearest airport.

• By train

  Joginder Nagar station (JGNX) is the nearest railway station.

Why devotees come here

Hidimba Devi Temple stands in Manali, a hill station in Himachal Pradesh in north India. It is an ancient cave temple dedicated to Hidimbi Devi, wife of Bhima from the Mahabharata. The sanctuary is built over a huge rock that was worshipped as an image of the deity.

Hidimba Devi Temple is built around a cave where, legend says, Devi Hidimba meditated. Hidimba was born into a Rakshasa family. She vowed to marry whoever could defeat her brother Hidimb, who was said to be very brave and fearless. Later she married Bhima, a figure in the Mahabharata, and gave birth to their son Ghatotkacha.

The structure was built in 1553 by Maharaja Bahadur Singh. The temple has intricately carved wooden doors. Locals still hold a yearly fair in his memory during Shravan, which they call Bahadur Singh Re Jatar. Inside, an enormous rock occupies the sanctuary, and it has been worshipped as an image of the deity.

The temple is set in a cedar forest called Dhungiri Van Vihar, at the foot of the Himalayas. Inside is a brass image of Devi Hidimba, only 7.5 cm tall.

Festivals

• During NavaratriNavaratri

  Durga is conventionally worshipped then, but in Manali the spotlight shifts to Hidimba.

• MayHidimba Devi's birthday fair

  Local women from the area visit the Dungri forest for music and dance on Hidimba Devi's birthday.

• Shravan (July-August)Bahadur Singh Re Jatar

  A fair held every year in memory of Raja Bahadur Singh, who built the temple.

• WeeklongKullu Dussehra

  The famous festival starts and ends in Hidimba's presence.

Tips for your visit

• Queues stay long all year, and the crowd doubles during Navaratri.
• A shrine to Ghatotkacha, Hidimba's son, stands seventy metres from the temple.

Questions people ask