Chamba Sightseeing - Chamunda Devi Temple

Chamunda Devi is the wrathful form of the Goddess Durga and the temple dedicated to her in Chamba is on Shah Madar Hill overlooking the town of Chamba. The temple is very elaborately decorated complete with intricate carvings of flowers and other deities. Youll find these all over the ceiling, pillars and the lintel of the temple. Just behind the temple is a small shrine to Lord Shiva designed in the Shikhara style - a curved cylindrical structure with five to nine striations ending in a bell shape. Standing sentinel in front of the temple are two very old peepul trees that are also worshipped by devotees and provide shelter to travellers, devotees and tourists. These grow from a platform in front of the temple and if you stand here, you get a birds eye view many of the monuments in Chamba like Chaugan the grassy promenade which is considered the centre of town, Circuit House, the temples and River Ravi. If youd like to get a workout, take the local route which is the flight of stairs leading to the temple from Sapri. They were built by Raja Raj Singh so are a landmark in themselves! Or drive there from Chamba. Its just about 3 km and a pleasant drive. In fact, you can approach the temple easily even during the harshest of winters and this also makes it a popular picnic spot for locals and tourists because of the view and the pleasant surroundings. Today, Chamunda Devi Temple is cared for by the Archaeological Survey of India and is quite well maintained and worth spending a few minutes at.