Lakhamandal is an ancient

Hindu temple A Hindu temple, or ''mandir'' or ''koil'' in Indian languages, is a house, seat and body of divinity for Hindus. It is a structure designed to bring human beings and gods together through worship, sacrifice, and devotion.; Quote: "The Hin ...

complex, situated in the Jaunsar-Bawar region of Dehradun district in the

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

Uttarakhand Uttarakhand ( , or ; , ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; the official name until 2007), is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the "Devbhumi" (literally 'Land of the Gods') due to its religious significance and ...

. The temple is dedicated to lord

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one o ...

. This temple is popular among the

Shaktism Shaktism ( sa, शाक्त, , ) is one of several major Hindu denominations, wherein the metaphysical reality is considered metaphorically a woman and Shakti ( Mahadevi) is regarded as the supreme godhead. It includes many goddesses, al ...

, who believe that a visit to this temple shrine will end their misfortunes. Lakhamandal gets its name from the two words: ''lakha'' (

Lakh A lakh (; abbreviated L; sometimes written lac) is a unit in the Indian numbering system equal to one hundred thousand (100,000; scientific notation: 105). In the Indian 2,2,3 convention of digit grouping, it is written as 1,00,000. For e ...

) meaning "many" and ''mandals'' meaning "temples" or "

lingam A lingam ( sa, लिङ्ग , lit. "sign, symbol or mark"), sometimes referred to as linga or Shiva linga, is an abstract or aniconic representation of the Hindu god Shiva in Shaivism. It is typically the primary '' murti'' or devoti ...

". Plenty of artistic works were found in the excavations by the

Archaeological Survey of India The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexand ...

Location

This temple lies 128 km. from

Dehradun Dehradun () is the capital and the List of cities in Uttarakhand by population, most populous city of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous Dehradun district, district and is governed by the Dehr ...

, and 35 km. from Chakrata on the

Mussoorie Mussoorie is a hill station and a municipal board, near Dehradun city in the Dehradun district of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is about from the state capital of Dehradun and north of the national capital of New Delhi. The hill s ...

- Yamnotri road, past Kempty Falls. It is built in North Indian Architectural style, which is common in the hilly regions of

Garhwal Garhwal may refer to the following topics associated with Uttarakhand, India: Places *Garhwal Himalaya, a sub-range of the Himalayas *Garhwal Kingdom, a former kingdom *Garhwal District (British Garhwal), a former district of British India *Garh ...

and

Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh (; ; "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen mountain states and is characterized by an extreme landscape featuring several pea ...

state. The

Yamuna The Yamuna ( Hindustani: ), also spelt Jumna, is the second-largest tributary river of the Ganges by discharge and the longest tributary in India. Originating from the Yamunotri Glacier at a height of about on the southwestern slopes of B ...

River flows alongside Lakhamandal village where the temple is situated.

Ancient Temple & Remains

This NAGARA style temple of Lord Shiva was built in circa 12th - 13th century CE. A large number of sculptures and architectural members are spread in the vicinity suggest the remains of more shrines of the same cult in the past but presently only this temple is survived. The earliest evidence of structural activity at Lakhamandal goes back to circa 5th-8th century CE, on the basis of bricks structure noticed below stones build the pyramidal structure. A stone inscription (6th century CE) of the site records the construction of Shiva temple at Lakhamandal by princess Ishwara, who belongs to the royal race of Singhpura, for the spiritual welfare of her late husband Chandragupta, the son of the king of Jalandhar. - Superintending Archaeologist (Archaeological Survey of India)

Lingam

The main attraction of this temple shrine is the graphite

Lingam A lingam ( sa, लिङ्ग , lit. "sign, symbol or mark"), sometimes referred to as linga or Shiva linga, is an abstract or aniconic representation of the Hindu god Shiva in Shaivism. It is typically the primary '' murti'' or devoti ...

. It shines when wet and reflects its surroundings.

Legend and the cave

According to the local people, this temple and the adjoining area are believed to be where

Duryodhana Duryodhana ( sa, दुर्योधन, ) also known as Suyodhana, is the primary antagonist in the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata.'' He was the eldest of the Kauravas, the hundred sons of the blind king Dhritarashtra and his queen Gandhari. Bei ...

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the '' Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the K ...

episode conspired to burn alive the Bhaskar in the Lakshyagriha house, constructed with

shellac Shellac () is a resin secreted by the female lac bug on trees in the forests of India and Thailand. It is processed and sold as dry flakes and dissolved in alcohol to make liquid shellac, which is used as a brush-on colorant, food glaze and ...

. Twin statues of Danav and Manav are located beside the main shrine. The statues are its '' dwarpals'' (doormen). Some people believe these statues to be those of

Pandava The Pandavas (Sanskrit: पाण्डव, IAST: Pāṇḍava) refers to the five legendary brothers— Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva—who are the central characters of the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. They are acknowledge ...

brothers

Bhima In Hindu epic Mahabharata, Bhima ( sa, भीम, ) is the second among the five Pandavas. The '' Mahabharata'' relates many events that portray the might of Bhima. Bhima was born when Vayu, the wind god, granted a son to Kunti and Pandu. ...

and

Arjuna Arjuna (Sanskrit: अर्जुन, ), also known as Partha and Dhananjaya, is a character in several ancient Hindu texts, and specifically one of the major characters of the Indian epic Mahabharata. In the epic, he is the third among Panda ...

. They also resemble Jai and Vijay, the doormen of Lord

Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" withi ...

. When someone was dying or had just died, an appearance in front of these statues, returns them briefly to life before finally expiring. The power of Manav kept the person alive, while Danav took the person's soul to Lord Vishnu's abode. Another cave near this place is called Dhundhi Odaari in the local

Jaunsari language Jaunsari () is a Western Pahari language of northern India spoken by the Jaunsari people in the Chakrata and Kalsi blocks of Dehradun district in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand Uttarakhand ( , or ; , ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ...

. ''Dhundi or Dhund'' means "misty" or "foggy" and ''odaar or odaari'' means "cave" or "hidden place". The local people think that the Pandava took refuge in this cave to save themselves from

Gallery

Lakhamandal Temple Mandals.jpg, Mandals at Lakhamandal Temple Lakhamandal Graphite Lingam.jpg, Graphite Lingam at the Lakhamandal Temple Danav Manav.jpg, Danav Manav Dhundo Odaar.jpg, The cave near the Lakhamandal Temple Lakhamandal --shivling.jpg, A great shiva temple.jpg, Lakhamandal .jpg, Lakhamandal-temple side view.jpg, Lakhamandal-6.jpg, Lakha-3.jpg, Lakhamandal-.jpg, Lakha-2.jpg, Laka.jpg,

References

{{Reflist Dehradun district Hindu temples in Uttarakhand Shiva temples in Uttarakhand