Bajreshwari Devi Temple, Kangra

The Bajreshwari Devi Temple is a popular Hindu pilgrimage site in Kangra District of Himachal Pradesh behind the crowded market of Kangra Town. It is said to be constructed by Goddess Bajreshwari itself at a place where once the famous Ashwamedh or horse-sacrifice took place. Standing behind the cricket field, numerous food selling stalls and bustling streets, the temple stands high and proves its presence by the echoing sounds of its huge bells. The annual Makar Sankranti festival is celebrated at this temple with great pomp and show. On this auspicious occasion ghee is applied on the idol of the goddess and water is poured 100times. After that the idol is decorated by flowers. This is practised for a week.

History It is said that the temple was not known as Bajreshwari Devi Temple when for the first time it was built. According to the history of this region, the temple was attacked by Mohammad Ghazni, the notorious invader and ruined in 1009. Later, the temple was reconstructed. It is in 1905, the temple got destroyed by a devastating earthquake. The temple is reopened to the public in 1920. The temple of Bajreshwari Devi is one of the few remaining temples from glorious past of Kangra.