History, Importance, Timings, Festivals, Architecture, Activities, Interesting Facts and Travel Guide of Hatkoti Temple, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India
Famous as “Devbhoomi” or land of Gods, Himachal’s Shimla has got many religious spots and most of them date back to the ancient times. The Hatkoti Temple in the state’s capital is located in the mysterious valley of Hatkoti, where temples are made of stone and because of this are unusual than any other temples of the region. It is believed that Sri Adi Shankaracharya had himself established the temples at Hatkoti.
History and Legend behind Hatkoti Temple, Shimla
According to some historians, the temples are built during third century, while others believe that they were built much later. The design of the walls of the temple, designed sculptures speaks loudly of the architectural designs of the eras indeed, probably during the Gupta reign.
According to popular legend, an austere girl settled down at the place to meditate, and suddenly vanished with the deep intensity of her meditation.
After she got vanished, a stone idol happened to be found at that particular spot. As per the natives people residing there, the girl has been the incarnation of the Devi Durga and the idol was sanctified as Hatkeshwari.
Architecture of Hatkoti Temple
Apart from being one of the most visited Hindu pilgrimage places of the state, Hatkoti Temple is appreciated for its unparalleled marvel in architecture. In this temple, Goddess Durga gets worshipped in the form of Devi Mahisashumardini, one of the most powerful incarnations of Devi Durga. The idol is about 1.2 m high and it is made of “ashtadhatu” (8 precious metals). The idol is installed in a sanctum and a light gets emitted from this bronze idol.
Some inscriptions are inscribed on both sides of the chief idol but the inscriptions are still not deciphered till date. Within the Hatkoti Temple Complex, Lord Shiva gets worshiped in a separate chamber. The most surprising feature is that the Shiva Linga worshiped has more width than that of the entry door, distinct and noteworthy from other Shiva temples. There are several other temples within the temple premise and each one of them is a unique showcasing wonderful architectural skill of the constructors.
There is a prayer hall which is called “Kirtan Ghar” and a rest house (Dharamshala). For making sacrifices and to follow other rituals, a separate room is there within the complex which is called Yagyashala. There is a hawan- kund present at the middle of the hall. About four hundred people can sit at a time in this hall. The architectural style of this temple supports the fact that these temples were constructed during the period of Gupta Rulers in India in early Indian history.
Significance of Hatkoti Temple
There are some stone temples scattered with the temple complex and they are about five in numbers. These temples are in the decreasing order on the basis of size. It is believed that these temples were used by the five Pandavas as their toy houses and is thus have an association with the great Hindu Epic “Mahabharata”. Below the surface of the temple, a tunnel is present that is about six feet deep and 4 feet wide.
Festivals celebrated at Hatkoti Temple, Shimla
There are many fairs and festivals held in Hatkoti Temple. The temple is visited by thousands of devotees from the nearby areas as well from the areas far off during the month April and October for observing Chaitra Navaratra and Aswin Navratra respectively. Fairs are organized on these occasions that include a lot of cultural performances and folk songs too. Devotees who worship Maa Durga in “Shakti” form sacrifice goats and sheep at this temple.
Halwa Prasad and flower garlands are offered by the devotees worshipping Devi Durga in Her “Vaishnavi” manifestation.
How to Reach Hatkoti Temple, Shimla, Capital of Himachal Pradesh, India
Shimla being one of the major tourist center along with capital, important district and city of Himachal Pradesh, it is very well connected with all major cities of India via road, rail and air network. Millions of tourist across the world visits here throughout the year which makes Shimla more convenient in terms of travel, accommodation and other services. By road is the most common and easy way of transport to reach Shimla as highway from Delhi and Chandigarh are good in condition. The nearest major airport from Shimla is Chandigarh airport which is located just at a distance of around 110 km from the city. Kalka railway station is the nearest major rail junction which is at around 90 km from city. Shimla is located at 238 km from Manali, 112 km from Chandigarh, 200 km from Kullu, 340 km from Delhi, 485 km from Vaishnodevi, 205 km from Palampur, 115 km from Mandi and 186 km from Joginder nagar.
