Popular for its beautiful vegetation and snow covered mountains, Devbhumi Himachal Pradesh has many historical religious places. Many of these shrines belonged to ancient India. One of these temples is the temple of Bathu ki Ladi, which is situated in the Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh. It takes just half an hour from Jawali town to reach this famous temple, which is actually a group of temples. The peculiarity of this temple is that it remains underwater for about 8 months, which means devotees can visit this temple for only 4 months. Surprisingly, the foundation of this temple is so strong that it hardly gets affected by the pressure of water.
It is believed that this temple was constructed by Pandavas during the Mahabharata era. They had enshrined Shiva-Linga at Bathu ki Ladi during their period of exile. According to locals, Pandavas had decided to make the staircase from here directly to heaven. But they miserably failed to accomplish this task within a stipulated time period given by Lord Krishna. There is one big stone present at some distance from here, which is said to be thrown by Bhima. People believe that this stone bleeds while hitting pebbles on it.
Many secrets and mysteries are connected to this temple. This temple has been constructed in such a way that every day when the Sun sets, its twilight touches directly the feet of Mahadeva enshrined here. About 5000 years old, this temple remains submerged in the Maharana Pratap Sagar for eight months and only during the months of May and June can tourists have its close and inside look, when the water level here recedes at its minimum level.
Even today within these temples, one can find ancient idols of Lord Vishnu and Lord Ganesha.There is also an interesting story behind the origin of its name as Bathu Ki Ladi. In fact, all the temples erected here are made of a special kind of stone, called Bathu. Having a distant view of this site, all the temples appear to be stringed in a garland . So this beautiful site is called Bathu Ki Ladi ( the Garland of Bathu). There have been proper arrangements for the stay of tourists here.
HOW TO REACH
The nearest airport from this wonderful temple is 65 kms away from the Gaggal airport of Dharamsala. From the airport the nearest station is Jawali, which is just 37 kms away from the temple. The small railway station in Jawali is also connected to Jalandhar railway station, which is 135 kms away from here. You can also board a bus to Jawali, which will drop you at Dhameta village from where 3 kms of on foot journey leads you to the temple.
Read Also:
- Paragpur in Himachal Pradesh is the first Heritage village of India
- 125 kms from Srinagar, Gurej Valley of Kashmir is also called the Gateway to Heaven
- Patal Bhuvaneshwar Cave in Pithoragarh enshrines the beheaded head of Lord Ganesha
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