Lakhamandal Temple, Uttarakhand
Lakhamandal Temple is an ancient Hindu Temple Complex
dedicated to Lord Shiva, situated in the Jaunsar
– Bawar region of Dehradun
district in the state of Uttarakhand,
India. Lakhamandal gets its name from the two words: Lakha (Lakh) meaning
many and Mandals meaning temples or lingam.
The Temple is situated on the banks of Yamuna River. This temple is popular
among the Shakti Cult, who believe
that a visit to this temple shrine will end their misfortunes. The Temple is
maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India.
Legends
Relationship with Pandavas:
According
to Hindu mythology, Lakhamandal (Lakh or Lac means resin and Mandal means
region in Hindi) is the place where Duryodhana was planning to kill Pandavas
but fortunately, Pandavas ran from the Laksha Griha (the house made of wax),
where they were supposed to kill. However, with the grace of Shakti, Pandavas
escaped to a nearby cave called Dhundhi Odaari.
A beautiful
temple dedicated to Goddess Sakthi, can be found inside the temple complex in
memory of this event. Dhundi or Dhund means misty
or foggy and odaar or odaari means cave or hidden place in in the
local Jaunsari language. The
local people think that the Pandava took refuge in this cave to save themselves
from Duryodhana. It was here Bhima, one of the Pandava Brother, married
Hidimba, a demoness and fathered Ghatotkacha.
Danav and Manav:
Twin statues of Danav and Manav are located beside the
main shrine. The statues are the Dvarapalas of the temple. Few
believe these statues are Pandava brothers Bhima and Arjuna. Other
believe, they were Jaya and Vijaya, the
doormen of Lord Vishnu. It is
believed that if you bring someone in the brink of death or had just died, in
front of this dvarapalas, returns them briefly to life before finally expiring.
The power of Manav will keep the person alive, while Danav will take the person
soul to Lord Vishnu's abode,
Vaikunda.
History
The earliest evidence of structural activity at
Lakhamandal goes back to circa 5th - 8th Century A.D. An inscription
dated to 6th century A.D of the records the construction of Shiva Temple
at Lakhamandal by princess Ishwara, belongs to the royal race of Singhpura, for
the spiritual welfare of her late husband Chandragupta, the son of the king of
Jalandhara. The temple was reconstructed in 12th – 13th in
Nagara style. A large number of sculptures and architectural remains are spread
in the vicinity suggest the remains of more shrines of the same cult in the
past but presently only this temple is survived.
The Temple
For brief details, please refer below link;
Connectivity
The Temple is located at about 26 Kms from Barkot, 61
Kms from Chakrata, 75 Kms from Mussoorie, 109 Kms from Dehradun Railway
Station, 119 Kms from Dehradun, 135 Kms from Dehradun Airport and 369 Kms from
New Delhi Airport. The Temple is situated on Mussoorie to Yamunotri Road.
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