Sankat Mochan Temple is a

Hindu temple A Hindu temple, also known as Mandir, Devasthanam, Pura, or Kovil, is a sacred place where Hindus worship and show their devotion to Hindu deities, deities through worship, sacrifice, and prayers. It is considered the house of the god to who ...

, dedicated to Hindu deity

Hanuman Hanuman (; , ), also known as Maruti, Bajrangabali, and Anjaneya, is a deity in Hinduism, revered as a divine ''vanara'', and a devoted companion of the deity Rama. Central to the ''Ramayana'', Hanuman is celebrated for his unwavering devotio ...

Shimla Shimla, also known as Simla ( the official name until 1972), is the capital and the largest city of the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared the summer capital of British India. After independence, the city ...

Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh (; Sanskrit: ''himācāl prādes;'' "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a States and union territories of India, state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen Indian Himalayan ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. The temple is Shimla's second most visited Hanuman temple after

Jakhu Temple Jakhu Temple (also Jakhoo Temple) is an ancient temple in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India, dedicated to the Hindu deity Lord Hanuman. It is situated at Jakhu Hill, Shimla's highest peak, east of the Ridge at a height of above sea level. Ev ...

. It was established in 1950 by noted religious figure,

Neem Karoli Baba Neem Karoli Baba () or Neeb Karori Baba () (born Laksman Narayan Sharma; – 11 September 1973), also known to his followers as Maharaj-ji, was a Hindu guru and a devotee of the Hindu deity Hanuman. Biography Early years Lakshman Narayan Sh ...

History

The temple was established in 1950 by

, after he spent 10–12 days in the forest area. While meditating, he got some instinct that Hanuman temple should be built on the site. Baba told his wish to his followers and eventually in the year of 1962 the then Lieutenant Governor Bajrang Bahadur Singh and other followers started the construction of the temple. The idols of

Rama Rama (; , , ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the seventh and one of the most popular avatars of Vishnu. In Rama-centric Hindu traditions, he is considered the Supreme Being. Also considered as the ideal man (''maryāda' ...

Sita Sita (; ), also known as Siya, Jānaki and Maithili, is a Hindu goddess and the female protagonist of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. Sita is the consort of Rama, the avatar of god Vishnu, and is regarded as an avatar of goddess Lakshmi. She is t ...

Lakshmana Lakshmana (, ), also known as Laxmana, Lakhan, Saumitra, and Ramanuja, is the younger brother of Rama in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He is considered as an incarnation of Shesha, the lord of serpents. Lakshmana was married to Urmila, and i ...

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

and

Ganesha Ganesha or Ganesh (, , ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped Deva (Hinduism), deities in the Hindu deities, Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in the Ganapatya sect. His depictions ...

were also established in the temple. The temple was inaugurated on 21 June 1966 on the day of

Tuesday Tuesday is the day of the week between Monday and Wednesday. According to international standard ISO 8601, Monday is the first day of the week; thus, Tuesday is the second day of the week. According to many traditional calendars, however, Sunda ...

. Gradually the temple gained a lot of popularity and faith. Neem Karoli Baba Sculpture in Ram Dass Library

Present

At present the locals come here everyday, as well as tourists who visit Shimla. Because it is Lord Hanuman temple, every Tuesday and Saturday a lot of people visit, and on Sundays huge number of people visit the temple. On each Sunday a large Bhandara is also organised here. In the vicinity of the temple there is also the small temple dedicated to Neem Karoli Baba, which was made in 1998. The view of Shimla city is also seen from the temple.

Location

The temple is located at an altitude of 1,975 m above sea level on Chandigarh-Shimla highway. The natural forested environment attracts tourists. Views of Shimla city are also seen from the temple.

References

{{Hindu temples in Himachal Pradesh, state=Himachal Pradesh Hanuman temples Hindu temples in Himachal Pradesh Tourist attractions in Shimla Temples in Shimla

History

Present

Location

See also

References