Lakhamandal, Mussoorie - Timings, History, Darshan, Pooja Timings

At a distance of 75 km from Mussoorie and 68 km from Chakrata, Lakha Mandal is an ancient Hindu temple complex situated in the Jaunsar - Bawar region of Dehradun district. This monument has been declared as a monument of national importance by ASI. It is one of the famous heritage sites in Uttarakhand.

The Lakha Mandal temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The temple is surrounded by beautiful mountains and Yamuna River. Lakhamandal gets its name from the two words, lakha meaning many and mandals meaning temples. This temple is popular among the Shakti Cult, who believes that a visit to this temple shrine will end their misfortunes.

According to 6th century AD stone inscription, the Shiva temple at Lakhamandal was built by princess Ishwara belonging to Royal race of Singhpura. It was built for the spiritual welfare of her late husband Chandragupta, the son of king of Jalandhra. The present structure of Nagara style was built in 12th - 13th century AD.

According to the legend, Lakhamandal is the place where Duryodhan tried to kill the Pandavas by making them stay at Laksha Griha, the house made of Wax. But fortunately Pandavas escaped from there by running away through a Cave. The next end of the cave can be seen at a distance of 2 km from Lakha Mandal temple. This place is called Dhundhi Odaari in the local Jaunsari language, meaning misty or foggy cave.

The main attraction of this temple shrine is the graphite Lingam. It shines when water is poured and reflects its surroundings. Inside the temple complex one can see the foot marks of baby Parvati on a rock. There are idols of Shiva, Parvati, Kartikeya, Ganesha, Vishnu and Bajrangbali. Near to this temple one can see two 6 feet statues of dwarapalakas of the temple. Some people believe these statues to be those of Pandava brothers Bhima and Arjuna.

This area is rich with ancient temples, sculptures and inscriptions. There is a museum also with a collection of several statues and lingas. There are around 150 stone engraved figures which are discovered, some dating from as early as 4th / 5th centuries.

Baishakhi festival on 15th of April is celebrated here in a grand manner, which is attended by large number of devotees.

Timings: 7 AM to 6 PM