Jhanyari Devi Temple

Himachal Pradesh, known as the Dev Bhumi, has a temple at every turn of the road. Under such circumstances, it is natural that Hamirpur district too will have number of temples dedicated to different deities. Some of these temples are new while some are centuries old. The Jhanyari Devi Temple for instance, is one of the oldest temples of this region and is much revered by the residents of this area.

Jhanyari Devi Temple on Hamirpur-Nadaun Road

Jhanyari Devi is the patron Goddess of Katoch Kings of Kangra and hence the temple is as much important from the religious point of view as it is significant from the historical perspective. The temple is located at a distance of 6 Km from Hamirpur town on Hamirpur-Nadaun Road. It is said to be two hundred years old and much revered by the people of this region. Special pujas are held every Jeshth-Shukla-Astami. A big fair is also arranged on that occasion.

Legends about Jhanyari Devi Temple

There is an interesting story that tells us why the temple for the Patron Goddess of the Katochs was built in a place such as this, not inside the royal palace. It is said that the king in his dreams was instructed by the Goddess to build a temple for her. She also told him where to find her.  As with the traditions of the royalties of those days, he set out in a big procession along with a beautiful palanquin to find the Goddess and bring her back to the capital with pomp and ceremony. He followed the path that the Goddess had described in his dreams and sure enough, he soon found what he was looking for.

On reaching their destination, he had the palanquin placed on the ground and then put the idol in it. But alas! The palanquin suddenly became too heavy to lift. Dejected, the king decided to spend the night there. As he fell asleep, he saw another dream, in which he was told that it was wrong to put her idol in the palanquin while it was still on the ground. He woke up immediately and after consultation with his minister decided that the temple should be built there only. Soon enough a temple came up on the very spot.

Now that the kings have lost their kingdom as well as their privy purses, they no longer can look after the temple. It is now looked after by committee elected by the local people. However, the royal splendor may be missing now, but there is no dearth of devotion.

Some other Temples in and around Hamirpur Town

Other than Jhanyari Devi Temple, Hamirpur as few more popular temples located in close vicinity. Kalnjari Temple and Gasota Mohadev Temple are two of the more revered temples located within a radius of eight kilometers from the town. Among the rest, two are dedicated to Lord Shiva. One of these Shiva temples is located on Shimla-Kangra Road in the vicinity of Agricultural Colony while the other is situated on the NH 70 in Anu. Jai Ma Sunduri, another famous temple of this region, is also located in Anu. The fourth one is located inside jungle on the way to Mohol Morian and if you go to visit this ruined fort in Hamirpur, be sure to look for this old temple built in what is popularly known as the Pandava style of architecture.