Chamunda Devi

Merely 10 km from Palampur lays the ancient temple of Chamunda Devi on the banks of the Baner River. The temple, counted among 51 shakti peethas, is dedicated to Chamundeshwari Devi, one of seven matrikas. The legend has it that Chamunda emerged from an eyebrow of Goddess Durga with an aim to kill demons Chanda and Munda. After a fierce battle, Devi killed both these generals of demon kings Shumbha and Nishumbha. Besides the shrine, the complex also has an ayurvedic dispensary, a library and a Sanskrit college. There is a temple guest house too within the premises for the convenience of devotees. The Chamunda Devi Temple happens to be one of the major tourist attractions when you travel to the quaint hill town of Palampur in Himachal Pradesh. While the location of the temple is undoubtedly beautiful for it is a hilltop temple, the legends attached to this temple are also amazing and thus attracts a lot of travellers to this place. Besides, it is also considered to be one of the holiest temples in the region, and is thus frequented by the locals as well. As far as the Chamunda Devi Temple timings are concerned, it totally depends on the season. During summers, the temple is open from 5 am to 12 pm and from 1 pm to 10 pm. On the other hand, during winters, the temple is open from 6 am to 12 pm and from 1 pm to 9 pm.

Chamunda Devi Temple history The Chamunda Devi Temple in Palampur is not just any other temple which makes for one of the major tourist attractions in a hill station. This temple has a lot of history attached to it as well. The temple is ancient and it originally came into being way back in the 16th century and has a lot of spiritual legends attached to it. In fact, there is a certain legend associated to the story of shifting this temple at one point as well. According to the legend, it was around 400 years ago that a king and a priest prayed to Chamunda Devi asking her consent to shift the image to an accessible location. The legend suggests that the goddess appeared in the priest’s dream and suggested him the exact location of where the idol would be found. This was told to the king and his men recovered the ancient idol and placed it at the place where the temple has been built now.

As a tourist attraction
The Chamunda Devi Temple has always been a major tourist attraction for anyone who visits Palampur, a hill station famous for its stunning natural beauty and plenty of tea gardens. The temple attracts travellers from all parts of India, not only because there are a lot of spiritual legends attached to it, but also because the temple is ancient and its architecture, although simple, has touches of traditional Himachali temple structures. The temple has also proved to be a popular spot for travellers who like to do photography in ancient temples, such as this one, perched up on a hill station. Besides, the ancient idol of Chamunda Devi, a form of Goddess Durga, also makes for a great subject of interest among travellers, photographers and devotees alike. Apart from the plenty of tourists who visit the Chamunda Devi Temple as a major tourist attraction of Palampur, the local residents of the quaint hill town consider it one of the holiest places of worship in the area, especially because of its many interesting legends and history that are attached to it. These residents and other devotees from the neighbouring hill towns visit this temple in order to offer their prayers to the goddess.