History of Temples In Himachal Pradesh

     

                  History of Temples In Himachal Pradesh

India in general has been known as the cradle of various religions and cults. Himachal Pradesh in particular is known as the land of gods or Devabhumi. There is a temple almost in every village of a local deity. The people in the Pradesh seek the blessings of these deities beside the natural protection of mountains. The Puranic literature also testifies Himachal Pradesh to be the abode of Lord Shiva and Parvati. If  we look at the genesis and evolution of the religious practices in Himachal Pradesh, it can be said that during the early period the religion of the Vedas was in vogue in the region. It is one view that Vedic Samhitas appeared in the plains of Himachal Pradesh and also has been testified by the Nirmand epigraph of the 7th century. The religion of the Vedas believed in positive action and the

believers of this faith offered prayers to various gods of nature like the sun, the moon, Usha, Rudra, Pushan and Indra. There developed a tradition to please these gods as a result of which various types of scarifices became quite common.

Prajapati Brahma-

During the period of the Brahmans, Prajapati occupied the top most position and was looked upon as the creator of gods, men and demons. The temples of Prajpati Brahma are few and far between in the country, though he happens to be one of the members of the Hindu trinity.Images of Brahma are found quite frequently in important temples which are dedicated to other gods.

Shaivism-

The genesis of the Shiva cult goes back to the remote past. There is a possibility that Shaivism had already gained sufficient ground before the arrival of Buddhism in certain regions of the state. In the early stage of history, Shaivism was flourishing in Trigarta (Kangra) an neighbouring valleys area for quite some time. It had its presence in the areas of Sirmaur, Shimla, Kinnaur, Mandi and Kullu districts as well. The coins found from these 

areas also support this view development of Shaivism in Himachal Pradesh is testified by the coins of Kunindas, Audumbaras and Yaudheyas. During their reign they happened to be quite tolerant rulers. The Gupta period signifies the rise of Vaishnavism but Shaivism and Shaktism continued to have a place of equal importance in Himachal Pradesh.

Shaktism- 

In this cult, Shakti is worshipped in one form or the other. The genesis of the faith could be traced from the Indus Valley Civilization, wherein the worship of Mother Goddess was in vogue. Shakti 

worship is closely associated with Shiva because his consort Parvati happens to be the daughter of the Himalaya and has been adored by the people individually as well as alongwith Shiva. She, besides Uma and from Parvati, was also conceived as Durga  Chandi, Kali, Mahakali, Chamunda and Mahishasuramardini. The genesis of Shakti worship in Himachal Pradesh could be traced to early times of Gupta period. Some temples and sculptures of Shakti belonging to this period are still available. A special mention may be made to the Lakshana Devi Temple at Bharmour, and Markula Devi Temple situated at the confluence of the Madhayara rivulet and the river of  Chandrabhaga. Other important Shakti temples are of Brijeshwari and Jawalamukhi in Kangra: Bhimakali Temple at Sarahan,Shimla district; Naina Devi Temple in Bilaspur  district; Tarna Devi Temple in Mandi and 

Tripura-Sundari Temple in Kullu.

Vaishnavism- 

The adoration of  Vishnu is closely associated with the Bhakti movement and it is a moot point whether  Bhakti as a religious doctrine can be traced to the early Vedic texts. But it did not play any significant role until then. In Himachal  Pradesh the traces of Vaishnavism can found comparatively at a later date. The  legend goes that a priest had brougt an image of Vishnu from Haridwar to Kullu and from there the sect reached to other parts of the state. During the Gupta periods Vaisnavism fully established itself in different parts of the state. The images of Vishnu in various forms are available in the State. The Historically significant image of Vishnu is that of  bronze belonging to the Gupta period. This was discovered from Fatehpur in Kangra district. The other images are at Hari Rai Temple, Lakshami Narayana at Chamba, Raghunatha temple at Kullu, Bansidhara, Sita Ram and Radha Krishna temples in rock cut temples at Masrur in Kangra district and Narsimha temple at Bharmour in Chamba districts

Sun worship-

Surya is the god who neither rose to the supreme position nor ever altogether lost his popularity. Worshiping of the Sun is mentioned in the Vedas as well as post-Vedic literature. The exact date of 

the genesis of Sun worship in Himachal Pradesh cannot be surmised, but possibly it was in vogue with the worship of other deities from an early stage. One of the worth mentioning Surya images is from Gum in the Ravi valley, halfway between Chamba and Bharmour. This can be dated

back to the Gupta period. In this case Surya has been shown seated in bhadrasana in a chariot driven by seven horses. Other Surya images discovered are at Mrikula Devi Temple at Udaipur, Baijnath Temple at Baijnath and Surya Temple at Nirath in Shimla district.

Buddhism-

Buddhism emerged on the Indian horizon in the 6th century B.C.after Gautam Buddha achieved his 

enlightenment at Bodh Gaya. The development of the monastic institutions are the most remarkable contribution of  Buddhism to the Indian culture. As far as the development of the Buddhist literature in Himachal Pradesh is concerned, there is also general derth of evidence relating to the genesis and evolution of Buddhism in Himachal Pradesh. For the first time, Hiuen Tsiang has thrown some light on the subject.it appears that Buddhism was flourishing in The 7th century A.D. in Kullu and Trigarta. Though Buddhism was a flourishing religion  for centuries, it disappeared from Trigarta(Kangra) but kept its hold over the areasof Lahul-Spiti and parts of Kinnaur