Kangra : Himachal Pradesh

Kangra is a beautiful district of the Himalayan state of the Himachal Pradesh of India. In the ancient times Kangra was called as Nagrkot. It is situated between the two rivers, Sutlej and Ravi. Kangra district has a very special significance in the history of India for witnessing many battles. Kangra was very prosperous in the ancient times during the rule of Katoch Rajas.

History of Kangra :

The famous Kangra fort which is a fort cum place was built by Raja Susharma Chand Katoch. Raja Susharma Chand Katoch’s reference is also found in the great epic Mahabharata. It has been found that he was in the close ally of Kauravas in the Mahabharata war. The famous Kangra fort has faced many wars. Like Mohammed Ghazni, who came to India in the 11th century and looted Kangra, amazed by the prosperity of the fort, Kangra was also captured by Mohammed Bin Tuglaq in 1337, while Raja Priti Chand was in the reign. However In 1351, Raja Purab Chand recovered the fort from the Muslims. The district of Kangra is also called Dev Bhoomi as it has numerous temples dedicated to different Gods of Sanatan Dharma. There is a temple of Kangra Devi also known as the Vajreshwari Devi temple, where thousands of devotees come every year on different Hindu festivals. The original temple no longer exists, as it was destroyed by the earthquake. Now, at the same place a new temple is constructed.

Things to do in Kangra :

The Jwala Ji temple is the holiest amongst these temples. The word ‘Jwala’ means flame in Hindi. Jwala Ji is a major source of the attraction for the pilgrims as well as the visitors because of its unique and inexplicable property. The temple exhibits natural jets of flame. Many researches have been conducted to find the source of the flares of flame, but reason still to be discovered.

The temple of Chamunda Devi is located 10 km west of Palampur, on the Baner River. The sacred site is called Chamunda Nandik-eshwar. The temple enshrines an enraged form of Durga, which is entirely hidden beneath a red cloth. The walls of the temple are adorned with scenes from Ramayana, Mahabharata and Devi Mahatma. On either side of the deity, images of Hanuman and Bhairo are sited.