Raghunath Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Jolly Grant Airport at Dehradun is about 90 km away and is the closest domestic airport.

• By train

  Haridwar junction is the railhead for Devprayag, with trains to most major cities. Rishikesh is the usual starting point for the road journey.

• By road

  Regular buses run from Rishikesh bus station to Devprayag. The temple is 73 km from Rishikesh on the Rishikesh to Badrinath highway.

Why devotees come here

Raghunath Temple stands in Devprayag, a pilgrimage town in Tehri Garhwal district, Uttarakhand. It is dedicated to Vishnu, worshipped here as Raghunathji, or Rama. Devprayag is one of the Panch Prayag, the five confluences of the Ganga in the Himalayas.

The temple stands in Devprayag, where the holy streams join. Legend says Rama did penance here to free himself from the curse he carried after killing Ravana. Devotees believe the mythical Sarasvati river flows directly under the deity.

The central shrine houses a standing granite image of Raghunathji. Smaller shrines for Badrinath, Adi Shankara, Shiva, Sita and Hanuman surround it. The temple is built in the Deula style, and the Nalayira Divya Prabandham glorifies it. It rises as an irregular stone pyramid topped by a white cupola, a golden ball and a spire.

Tradition links the temple to Adi Shankara, who is believed to have established it in the 8th century. The district site says the temple was erected some ten thousand years ago. An earthquake damaged the temple, and a local king rebuilt it. Inscriptions record a bell donated by Raja Sahaj Pal in 1551. Better roads to Badrinath have made it a secondary pilgrimage centre.

Tips for your visit

• Religious bathing takes place in two basins cut into the rock at the river junction.
• Surya Kund, Baital Kund, Brahm Kund and Vasisht Kund are other sacred spots in the town.
• Nearby Dasharathachal Peak has a rock, Dashrathshila, where Raja Dasharath is said to have done penance.

Questions people ask