Shimla’s 250-yr-old Tara Devi temple regains its past glory

Shimla, July 29

A steep road winding its way to one of Shimla’s hilltops will take tourists back to a glorious past with the rebuilding and restoration of the 250-year-old Tara Devi temple at its original location.

Perched atop a hill some 13 km from the capital, the ancient temple has regained its glory with the past recreated in the present after a painstaking rebuilding process spread over three-and-a-half years. The statue of the Tara deity was installed there on July 20 with due rituals by 90 priests specially invited for the occasion. Now, the temple also enshrines the statues of Saraswati and Kali.

The old temple, built by the erstwhile ruler of the Keonthal estate, was demolished as the wood used in its construction had weathered.

“The temple of “Maa Tara” has been rebuilt in its original hill architecture,” temple in-charge and SDM Anil Sharma said.

He said the temple, which was restored at a cost of over Rs 6 crore, was reconstructed at its original site after the old temple was demolished.

“Intricate wood carving was done in the typical ‘pahari’ style as per the original structure. Even gold and silver have been extensively used in the sanctum sanctorum after melting temple offerings,” Sharma added.

The doors and the wooden structures of the temple have been tastefully decorated with miniatures of goddesses.

As per state’s archives, the Keonthal estate, with its capital in Junga, some 26 km from Shimla, was founded in 1211 by Giri Sen, the younger brother of Vir Sen, the founder of Suket state in Sundernagar.

The temple was built by Giri Sen, whose fort still exists at Junga.

Locals say former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh took special interest in the temple’s rebuilding as his wife Pratibha Singh, is a scion of the Sen family.

The road linking the hilltop temple with Shimla was laid for the first time during his stint as Chief Minister from 1993-1998.

“Before the construction of the road, we used to trek to pay obeisance at the Tara Devi temple,” Junga resident Parkash Anand Sharma said.

He said even the rulers of the Keonthal estate used to travel on horseback to reach the temple. They had constructed huts for resting and “kuhls” en route.

Temple manager Anil Shandil said Virbhadra Singh, during his second stint as Chief Minister (2012-17), played a crucial role in convincing Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd to contribute Rs 2 crore for the temple’s reconstruction.

According to him, on an average 12,000-15,000 devotees visit the temple every weekend these days. Earlier, the Hatu temple near Narkanda and Bhimakali temple in Sarahan — both centuries-old temples located in Shimla district — were restored after reconstruction.

Officials say there are over 25,000 small and big temples, comprising largely local deities, in the state. Most of them have been built in typical hill architecture style using wood and slate. —IANS