Raghunathji Temple, Devprayag – History
Raghunathji temple is constructed in the Deula style
architecture. According to the local folklore, this temple was built by Raja
Jagat Singh of Kulu. He brought an idol of Lord Ram from his birthplace Ayodhya
in an unethical manner. To get rid of his sin, he constructed the temple of
Lord Ram. The construction for the current structure of the shrine was started
in 1835 by Maharaja Gulab Singh who was the founder of the kingdom of Jammu and
Kashmir. The temple construction was completed in 1860 during the reigns of
Maharaja Ranbir Singh, son of Maharaja Gulab Singh.
The Temple is originally in existence from the 10th
century. The temple was originally believed to have been established by Adi
Shankara during the 8th century,
with later expansions by the Garhwal
Kingdom. Garhwal (also, the ruling dynasty), the region in Himalayas, where the temple is located, is referred with the name
for the first time in a copper plate inscription in the temple from the period
of Raja Man Shah during 1610. The temple received contributions from other
rulers of the dynasty like Sahaj Pal, who donated a bell to the temple in 1551,
as indicated by the inscriptions in the temple.
Man Shah, the other ruler of the dynasty made
contributions and is indicted in the inscriptions from 1610 CE. The region was
ruled by Raja Prithvi Pat Shah as seen from the inscriptions in the door and
doorways in the temple dated to 1664. King Jai Kirthi Shah who ruled the
region during 1780, ended his life in the temple as he was betrayed by his
courtsmen. It was damaged during an earthquake during 1893 and was built by the
local king subsequently. In modern times, the temple is maintained and
administered by the Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board of the Government of Uttarakhand.
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