Prashar Rishi Temple

Getting there

• By air

  The nearest airport is Bhuntar in Kullu district, about 65 km away.

• By train

  Joginder Nagar, named after Raja Joginder Sen, is the terminus of the 163 km Kangra Valley narrow gauge railway.

• By road

  Mandi, the district headquarters, is about 50 km by road. The lake can also be approached from Bajaura in Kullu Valley.

Why devotees come here

Prashar Rishi Temple is a pagoda-style temple beside Prashar Lake, in Mandi district, Himachal Pradesh. It is dedicated to Rishi Prashar, the patron deity of the Mandi region. The lake lies at an elevation of 2,730 metres, and the temple sits beside it.

Prashar Rishi Temple is dedicated to Rishi Prashar, the patron deity of the Mandi region and the family deity of the Mandi royal family. He is revered across the valleys of the former princely state, including Shanor, Badar, Utrasaal and Saraj. Legend says the lake beside the temple formed when Rishi Prashar struck a rod (gurj). Water came out and took the shape of the lake. Another legend says the whole temple was built from a single deodar tree, and the work took 12 years.

King Ban Sen built the temple in the 13th to 14th century. It is a three-storied temple in the pagoda style, and the exterior and pillars carry intricate carvings that show the craftsmanship of that period. On Rishi Panchami and Kashi Parv, the sage appears as Khara and travels from the Bandhi bhandar to the sacred site, and deities from those valleys join the celebrations.

Festivals

• JuneSaranauhali fair

  Large numbers of locals from Mandi and Kullu districts attend this fair.

Tips for your visit

• Several camping sites are located here, and the area is the base for numerous easy and hard treks.
• Devotees receive prasad and shesh, a flower of the Rishi, and keep it as a sacred blessing.
• Trekkers from Mandi walk to Bagi village, the base village for the trek to the lake.

Questions people ask