Mahasu Devta Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Fly to Jolly Grant Airport in Dehradun, which is 20 km from the city centre, then continue by road.

• By train

  Dehradun Railway Station is 1 to 2 km from the city centre, about ten minutes by road depending on traffic.

• By road

  Chakrata is reached from Dehradun via Mussoorie or Vikasnagar through Kalsi Gate. Chakrata lies 98 km from Dehradun at an elevation of 2,118 m, and the temple is in Hanol village near it.

Rules to know

• Only the pujari, the temple priest, enters the sanctum, and he performs ritual washing at each entrance.
• Entry to the bhandar, the store room for sacramental objects, is limited to Brahmins.

Why devotees come here

Mahasu Devta Temple stands in Hanol village on the Tons River, near Chakrata in Dehradun district, Uttarakhand. It is dedicated to Shiva, known locally as Mahasu Devta. The stone-and-wood temple is in the Kath Kuni style, and only its sanctum survives from the original shrine.

Shiva is revered here as Mahasu Devta, one of the most sacred deities in the Mahasu region, which includes Jaunsar-Bawar. Local legend says the Mahasu Devta were four brothers who came from Kashmir. Another legend has Yudhishtira, the eldest Pandava, admiring the region and asking Vishwakarma to build a temple here and to stay with Draupadi for nine days.

Only the sanctum, or garbhagriha, of the original temple survives. The original main shrine dates to the 9th and 10th centuries CE and has a curved shikhara, the tower above the sanctum, in the Nagara style. The stone-and-wood building is in the Kath Kuni style. The temple stands on the Tons River, in the village of Hanol near Chakrata. Bells hang at the corners of the balcony and sway when the breeze blows.

Festivals

• Each AugustThree-day fair

  A community fair held over three days, showing the community's cultural harmony.

Tips for your visit

• Only the pujari, the temple priest, enters the sanctum, so visitors stay outside it.
• Look up at the bells on the balcony corners, which sway in the breeze.
• The airport and station distances are measured from Dehradun city centre, not from the temple.

Questions people ask