“Mandi has 81 ancient temples, one more than Kashi,” our young charioteer Pawanjee declared proudly as we drove through the picturesque town in the hills of Himachal. I am not sure about the authenticity of the claim, but there was no doubt that the town, where I had gone on a two-day tour with two of my friends a fortnight back, lives up to its nicknames of “Chhoti Kashi” and “Varanasi of the Hills”. The streets are dotted with temples, some painted in vivacious colours such as blue and pink (I even saw one in black with gold borders, dedicated to the Saturn-god) and some, especially the older ones, made of grey stones. We visited five of the 81, amid intermittent rains, traversing through slippery cobbled pathways, with our driver acting as a guide-cum-storyteller-cum-mythology exponent.
The best moment of the “temple run” was at ancient Panchvaktra Mahadev Mandir, situated beside the confluence of Beas and Suketi Khud. As I stood facing the shikhara-style structure and was admiring the beautiful carvings on the walls, the drizzle continuing since morning turned into heavy rains. The cloudy yellow sky, the green-and-steel-hued waters of the two rivers in spate, and the ash-smeared appearance of the temple complex created a perfect picture. The Shiva idol here has five faces, representing his five manifestations – Aghora, Ishana,Tat Purusha, Vaamdeva and Rudra.
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| Panchvaktra temple |
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| Riverside view |
Among the five we visited, two more were Shiva temples. Bhootnath temple was constructed in 1520s by then king Raja Ajber Sen of the princely state of Mandi, who is also credited with building the town itself. The other was a rare Mahamrityunjaya temple, where the three-eyed form of Lord Shiva is worshipped as the conqueror of death.
The Bhima Kali temple and the Tarna Mata/Shyama Kali temple have beautiful depictions of the 10 Mahavidyas on their walls. The latter especially attracted my attention as it had some similarities with the temple architecture of Bengal. Interestingly, it is said that the Sen Kings of Mandi share the same ancestors as that of the Sen Dynasty of Bengal. The Tarna Devi temple witnesses huge rush of devotees during the annual international Shivaratri fair at Mandi as it hosts the presiding deity of the festival, Lord Kamrunag, for eight days, we were told.
The Lake Isle of Prashar: In fact, the name of popular local deity Dev Kamrunag was also mentioned by our storyteller Pawanjee during our previous day’s trip to the scenic Prashar Lake. I had read earlier about the serenity and tranquility of the lake, 49 kms from Mandi, nestled among the hills and reflecting the colour of the blue sky, but the stories and beliefs around it were interesting additions. It is believed that the lake was created by second Pandav Bheem when the brothers were returning from the Kurukshetra war, accompanied by Lord Kamrunag, who expressed his wish to reside at the beautiful site.
A pagoda-style wooden temple, which is dedicated to sage Prashar/Parashar (father of Mahabharata chronicler Veda-vyas), lies beside the lake. There is a circular floating island at one corner of the water body. “It used to move around in the lake earlier. Now that has stopped because too many people are unburdening their sins here. Till now, no one could determine the depth of this sacred lake,” Pawanjee said. It is also believed by people here that if the island sinks, that will end the life on earth.
As we were sitting on a Delhi-bound bus that night, leaving behind the hills, the rains, and the laid-back charm of the town of Mandi, I was remembering the stories and thinking that if they help conserve the lake in its pristine glory, it would not be a bad thing after all.
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