Naggar Temples

Temples of Kullu - Naggar
Captain A.F.P. (later Colonel) Harcourt, Assistant Commissioner in Kullu from 1869 to 1871 took a great interest in the temples of the area. His classification of Kullu temples in four categories has been adopted by Penelope Chetwode in her famous book, Kulu, The End of the Habitable World (1984).
Type 1: The pyramidal carved stone temple, e.g. Shiva temples at Bajaura, Dashal and Lord Krishna temple of Thawa (Naggar)
Type 2: The rectangular stone and wood temple, furnished with a pent roof and verandah, e.g. Jagatsukh, Jagati Pat and Naggar Castle
Type 3: The small rectangular temple with a pent roof, e.g. Narsingh temple at Naggar
Type 4: The rectangular stone and wood temple, pagoda fashion, with successive wooden roofs, one on top of other, e.g. Tripura Sundari temple at Naggar, Trijugi Narayan Temple at Dayar (near Bhuntar)

Naggar town (1760m altitude) is located on the left bank of Beas river about 22km from Kullu (almost mid-way between Kullu and Manali). All the four types of temples are well represented in this town which is also famous for the Roerich’s Art Gallery.

Naggar commands a spectacular view of the Beas Valley. During the reign of Raja Sidh Singh, the splendid Naggar Castle (now a hotel) was built. Before seventeenth century, Naggar has been capital of Kullu state.

Lord Krishna Temple, Thawa (Naggar)

Murlidhar (Krishna, the flute player) has a temple about 500 feet above Naggar very close to the ancient ruins of Thawa town.
This is a Type 1 temple with all the glory of carvings on its Shikhara. A gravel road has recently been constructed to reach here.

The base of the temple resembles late Gupta style carvings while the above portion of Shikhara has been rebuilt after the devastating earthquake of 1905.

The temple has idols of Lord Krishna, Radha, Laxminarayan and Garuda.
To the south of the temple, one can notice a small rath on wheel which is used as a chariot for the Lord on Dushera day.

Gaurishankar Temple, Dashal (Naggar)

The curvilinear tower (shikara) is very characteristic of Type 1 temple with beautiful carvings in stone. This style is believed to have been imported from Indian plains to hills in seventh or eighth century AD. The best example is of Vishveshvara Mahadev temple of Bajaura.

The Gaurishankar temple at Dashal village is located very close to Naggar on the Naggar-Manali road. The small temple has exquisite stone carvings in classical style of the late Gupta period. The temple is crowned with the characteristic amalaka (imitating a segmented pumpkin).

The stone Shiva temples in the area are usually dominated by Brahmins and Rajputs, more so in the towns.
‘I am neither mind, ego, intelligence, nor thought, neither ears, nor tongue, nor the senses of smell and sight, neither I am ether, earth, fire, water or air; I am pure knowledge; I am Shiva, I am Shiva.’

Tripura Sundari Temple, Naggar

The Tripura Sundari (‘The beauty of the Triple World') at Naggar is a Pagoda style (Type 4) temple made of deodar wood. The temple has a great resemblance with the Hadimba Devi temple of Manali.
The top of this three-tiered temple is circular with a pinnacle crowned by a Chhatra. The two lower storey are characteristically divided by squat wooden pillars.

Kailashan is other name given to Tripura Sundari who receives shrouds of dead bodies as her clothes once a year on the first day of Baisakh when Birshu festival is held.

Jagati Pat Temple in Naggar Castle

Jagati Pat temple is now rebuilt but in its old Type 2 style which, in fact, is indigenous timber-bonded style of western Himalaya. There are alternate courses of dry stone and deodar beams which makes the structure earthquake-proof. Inside the temple, there is a slab of 5feet x 8feet x .6feet which, according to a legend has been transported by bees from a mountain to make Naggar a celestial seat.

As such, the whole of Naggar Castle is a beautiful example of this kind of architecture.

Narsingh Temple, Naggar

This is Type 3 temple located on the other side of the road, at the south-east corner of the Naggar castle. The small wooden temple is chalet style which is perhaps the commonest of all the four types of temple in the Kullu valley. Several small versions of this type can be seen in the area.

A temple of recent origin at Naggar:

Almost no carving on the outer stone walls.