Hadimba Devi - The Supreme Sacrifice
With a four-tiered, pagoda
shaped roof and a front doorway carved with figures and symbols, the lovely
temple stands as a mute tribute to the supreme artist who sacrificed the
very hand with which he carved his paen in wood to the godess of the Dhoongri
Temple Hadimba Devi, wife of Bhim - the Pandva. Every year in the month
of May there is a major festival. At this very place, aeons ago, Bhim killed
the strong and witfully cruel demon, Hadimb and married his sister Hadimba,
shortly after. Hadimba expurgated her sins by performing a great 'tapa'
and consequently began to be worshipped as a goddess. So delighted was
the king with the artist, who had built the superb symbol of devotion that
he cut off his hand in order to prevent the duplication of the temple elsewhere.
Undaunted, the artist trained his left hand at the requets of the people,
executed an even finer temole at Trilokinath in Chamba. The people wer
thrilled and as in a democracy, where power turns the head of the people
acting as one, went one better thatn the king. They too, thought that such
a masterpiece should not be repeated, and so cut off his head. The hapless,
but devoted artist, had paid the supreme sacrifice to his art. Here, the
valley narrows and the whispering of the deodars mingles with the tumult
of the river. This temple is approachable by a foot path close to Hotel
Rohtang Manas lu or via Hotel Kalpana, Devei Dyar and Chetna before Log
Huts and it is almost 1.5 Km by road. A little higher up and 4 Km from
Manali is a small but picturesque lake named after the sage Bhrigu. |