Himachal Diaries: Part Eighteen

Day Ten (10.07.2024): Exploring Manali

Hadimba Devi Temple

It is an ancient cave temple dedicated to Hidimbi Devi, wife of Bhima. The temple is surrounded by a cedar forest at the foot of the Himalayas. The tower consists of three square roofs covered with timber tiles and a fourth brass cone-shaped roof at the top.  The sanctuary is built over a huge rock jutting out of the ground which was worshiped as an image of the deity. The structure was built in 1553 by Maharaja Bahadur Singh.

About seventy metres away from the temple, there is a shrine dedicated to Goddess Hidimba's son, Ghatotkacha, who was born after she married Bhima. The most surprising feature of the temple or what believers could call the most reassuring feature of the temple is the fact that inside the temple the imprint of the feet of the Goddess carved on a block of stone is worshipped.

We reached the venue at 4pm and worshiped the goddess. Sanket briefed us on the temple story. Then everyone started clicking photos in the surroundings. I wore the himachali attire along with Bhumi and clicked photos. 

A traditional attire consists of: pattu (thick, woolen embroidery shawl), ghaghra (long, flared skirt) worn with a choli (blouse), dhatu (headscarf) and silver jewellery includes necklace, hanging earrings, etc. 

Post the temple, we drove to the famous mall road for shopping, which I absolutely do not like. Due to the immense ear pain, I could not enjoy the 8flavours softy cone. Had I not received the call from Sanket, I would have missed visiting the monastery in mall road. I reached the monastery at 6pm.

Himalayan Nyingmapa Gompa

The monastery’s main attraction is the two-storey statue of Sakyamuni Buddha, a representation of the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama. This iconic statue, adorned in intricate details and vibrant colors, embodies calmness and introspection, making it a captivating sight for visitors. Surrounding the Buddha are intricately painted murals that depict significant events from the Buddha’s life, his teachings, and elements of Tibetan culture. 

The base floor also has statues of Padmasambhava, also known as Guru Rinpoche, a significant figure in Tibetan Buddhism and Chenrezig, also known as the four-armed Avalokiteshvara, a Tibetan Buddhist deity embodying compassion. 

I climbed the stairs to upper floor. There is statue of Hai Griva, a deity in Tibetan Buddhism. Done with the monastery visit, I was back to the hotel at 06:45pm and had momos. 

We had to assemble at the reception at 8pm to know that river rafting is cancelled due to bad condition and we got the refund. Then we went to the basement for folk dance and DJ night. More on this in next post.