Lakhamandal Temple, Uttarakhand

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 5^th - 8^th Century A.D. An inscription dated to 6^th 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 12^th – 13^th 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;

https://hindutemples-india.blogspot.com/2020/01/lakhamandal-temple-temple.html

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.

Location | Photos