As a part of our trip to char-dham, after Mussoorie we visited an ancient temple complex called Lakha Mandal at Jaunsar village of Dehradun district. It is located around 130 kilometers from Dehradun and 35 kilometers from Chakrata on the Mussoorie-Yamunotri road, past Kempty falls.
The shiv-lings emerged at every yard in the temple area when excavated by the archaeological survey of India. Villagers believe there are lakhs of lings underneath, hence the name lakha mandal.
The legend says, this is the same place where Duryodhana conspired to kill Pandavas by building a Lakshyagriha hence named Lakhamandal. There is a Pandav cave at the entrance of the village which is believed that Pandavas escaped from this cave. There are many other caves around the mountains of the village.
Now let me guide you through the Lakhamandal Temple with images.
This is the main temple situated amidst the beautiful mountains around. It is believed to be more than 2000 year old temple. The shiv-ling inside the sanctum sanctorum and other statues are quite older than the temple.
This is a beautiful image of the shiv-ling covered by sky and surrounded by mountains all around.
This graphite ling below is the center of attraction of this place. It reflects the surroundings very clearly on pouring water on it.
I noticed this unique structure depicting a lotus flower in almost all the Shaivik temples in Uttarakhand. They are actually on the top of the pagoda.
A beautiful mount view.
The people of Jaunsar village are very hard working, innocent and kind. We met few people who were really touching and warm hearted. Some of the senior citizens having great time together.
And also the younger generation equally enjoying the music and nature.
I had hard time separating while leaving. This photo is by courtesy Viru Paksha Dani.
Hi, very nice pictures of Lakha Mandal temple at Jaunsar village of Dehradun district. This visual presentation is very impressive and you detail is also looking good.
ReplyDeleteJust now I visited Astrolika for detail of this temple. I think you should also check that too.