Some 105 kilometers east of Shimla, in Jubbal Tehsil on the banks of the river Pabar, lays the mysterious valley of stone temples Hatkoti. Close by stands a small village by the name of Parhaat. At Hatkoti, two other small mountain streams Bishkulti and Raanvti join the Pabbar. The color of the Bishkulti (vish-khalti) water is somewhat grayish and the local belief says that the stream oozes out poison. With the convergence of the three water streams (sangam), according to the Hindu mythology makes Hatkoti a place fit to be a pilgrimage. 

Himachal itself, studded though it is with temples, has a very special reverence for Hatkoti, the abode of Goddess Mahishasurmardinian incarnation of Durga.

History:The temple complex consists of a main temple dedicated to Durga and a smaller temple dedicated to Shiva, the two standing side by side. There are some conical stone structures meant for storing grain, presumably built by the local people at a much later date. A dharamshala, a kirtan ghar and a rest house make up the complex. 

On the basis of the architectural design and style of sculpture, it is believed that the Hatkoti temples belong to the Gupta period and must have been built between the sixth and ninth century AD. As is the case with most other temples in the hills, the Garbhagriha (sanctum sanctorum) is naturally dark. But the idol, exquisitely cast in bronze, emits a soft, ethereal glow. It depicts the goddess Mahishasurmardini (an aspect of Durga), also called Mata Hateshwari, eight-armed and riding a lion as she drives her spear through the heart of the demon Mahishasura. On either side of the image, there is an inscription in a variation of the Brahmini script that no one has been able to decipher so far.