Khokhan is a village in the
Kullu district
Kullu is a district in Himachal Pradesh, India. It borders Rampur district to the south, Mandi and Kangra districts to the west, and the Lahaul and Spiti district to the north and east. The largest valley in this mountainous district is the ...
of
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 peaks ...
state,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. It is located close to the towns of Shamshi and
Bhuntar
Bhuntar is a town and a nagar panchayat in Kullu district in the state of Himachal Pradesh, India. It is just 11 km from Kullu town, and lies along National Highway 3. The Kullu Airport is located in Bhuntar. Bhuntar is located on the right b ...
in the
Kullu valley. Administratively, Khokhan constitutes a
Gram Panchayat
Gram Panchayat () is a basic village-governing institute in Indian villages. It is a democratic structure at the grass-roots level in India. It is a political institute, acting as cabinet of the village. The Gram Sabha work as the general bo ...
, led by an elected
Pradhan Pradhan (Devanagari: प्रधान) is generally ministerial title of Sanskrit origin in cultures of Hindu tradition, mainly used in the Indian subcontinent. The Sanskrit ''pradhāna'' translates to "major" or "prime"; however, the more modern ...
, in the Kullu block of the Kullu district. The village is located on east and north-east facing slopes, and most of the village receives abundant sunlight throughout the year.
This village is known for the Adi Brahma temple and the Khokhan Wildlife Sanctuary.
Adi Brahma Temple
The Adi Brahma temple is right above the Khokhan village. According to the historian O.C. Handa, the Adi Brahma temple has a four tier, pyramidal-style roof, in the 'hansakara' style. All in all, the temple is about 20m in height, from base till the top. Architectural as well as relic-based evidence at this site suggests that the present structure dates to the 14th century A.D., likely built by Raja Ban Sen (1301-1346 A.D.) of
Mandi, on the site of an older, 'shikhara' style stone temple from the 10th-11th century A.D. This temple is a 'dehra' (resting place) of the deity Adi Brahma, whos
moharasand 'rath' (palanquin) are placed in a 'bhandara' (treasury) across this mountain. Usually the dehra remains closed, and is opened only when the deity comes visiting, on his palanquin from the Bhandara.
According to custom, the Adi Brahma deity, called Devta Adi Brahma, is considered as a brother to the female deities of two nearby villages: Jwala Mata of Shamshi and Naina Mata of Bhulang. At a spur to the south of Khokhan village, there is a much more recent and smaller wooden temple of the deity Veer Nath. This deity is also related to the Devta Adi Brahma.
There is also another temple for Adi Brahma, built in the same style, at Tihri in
Mandi district
Mandi district is one of the central districts of Himachal Pradesh state in northern India. The town of Mandi is the headquarters of the district.
The main native language is Mandeali.
As of 2011 it is the second most populous district of H ...
of Himachal Pradesh. In local folk belief, the Adi Brahma temple of Tihri village is related to the Adi Brahma temple of Khokhan village.
Khokhan Wildlife Sanctuary
The nearby Khokhan Wildlife Sanctuary is named after the Khokhan village.
References
Cities and towns in Kullu district
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