Kangra City is the District Headquarters of Kangra District and is about 25 Kms from our resort and has a multitude of stunning temples to visit. Our trip to Kangra began with the first stop at the Kangra Fort not far from which is the new Jain Temple. The ancicent Jain Temple is located atop the the Kangra Fort and it is quite a climb to get to the top. I gave up the climb part of the way, while Tiny proceeded higher but then she also stopped short of the summit. The Jain Temple across the Fort provides excellent views of the Kangra Fort from a right distance. We then proceeded to visit some of the other temples – the Chamundi Devi Temple and the Jwalamukhi Temple, both are 1 Km upward ascent from the Main Road, but then if you’ve come to the hills then how can you not meet any climbs ?
The most beautiful temple in Kangra is without a doubt the BaglaMukhi Temple. For one, it is at road level so the approach is not difficult. Secondly it looks bright and welcoming in its Yellow Attire and even though crowded, is organised and chaos free. The entire set up is ultra modern. Trendy Stores sell Prasad, there is a Cofee Shop not unlike Starbucks, Offerings can be made via UPI payment and yet, inspite of all these modernities, the ambience is still devotional and holy. It was certainly one of the best temples in the region. Some pictures from our temple run are below:
Our next halt was going to be the Masroor Rock Temples. On the way, we stopped for lunch at a Dhaba. The Dhaba is probably not amongst the best on the route but its claim to fame is the fact that members of the Indian Cricket Team, including MS Dhoni stopped here for lunch while on their way to Dharamshala for a T-20 Match. Dharamshala now boasts of a world-class Cricket Stadium, probably the highest in the world, at which international matches are regularly held.
Then we continued to the Masroor Temples. The Masroor Temples are rock cut temples, sometimes called the Ellora of Himachal. They are believed to have been first built by Pandavas while they were travelling through these mountains; historically they belong to the 7th and 8th centuries. They are an awesome and breathtaking sight to behold. What was very interesting to note was that almost all entry payments are regulated via UPI. As the ticket costs are significantly different for Indians and Foreigners, Indians need to enter their Aaadhar Card number while foreigners have to enter their Passport Number. Its a bit of a process but the G4S guard at the counter is well versed in how the system works and will assist you perfectly. Was very happy to see his proficiency. Our pictures of the Rock Temple are below:
After a tiring day at Kangra we headed back to our resort. Im glad that we were both able to cope with the physical effort that today’s tour required. Next day was going to be a day of light activity only.