One Of The Popular Ancient Temples Of Bhagsu Nag In Himachal
At a distance of 2 km from McLeod Ganj Bus Stand & 6 km from Dharamshala, Bhagsu Nag Temple also known as Bhagsunath Temple is one of the popular ancient temples located in McLeod Ganj. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and the local deity Bhagsu Nag.
Bhagsu Nag Mandir is an ancient temple believed to have been built by King Bhagsu from Rajasthan. The present Bhagsu Nag temple was constructed by 1st Gurkha Rifles in early 19th century and worshipped majorly by 14 Gurkha platoon villages in Dharamshala. Adjacent to the temple building are a series of pools where Buddhist monks and visitors enjoy baths. An annual fair is conducted in the month of September at this temple which attracts tourist from the entire region. This temple is situated on the way to Bhagsunag Waterfall.
The three of us walked slowly along the narrow path, paying more attention to the stalls that lined it, Samhith grumbling that we had just started our trip, and were already breaking rule no. 1. “No Temples”.
More interesting are the structures around the temple. Behind the temple is the waterfall, and the water flows down into a tank just outside the temple. There are faces carved into the stone, and a number of shrines old and new surround it. An iron pipe brings water out of the tank for people to drink, and beyond the tank is a brand new swimming pool, which seems to be surprisingly clean and well maintained! There were a number of people frolicking in the pool, so I did not click a photograph. Besides, I was more fascinated by this small shrine on the side.
The story is from mythological times, and the first temple here is said to have been built in the time of Raja Dharamchand, who had a dream, advising him to build it. That story is also part of legend, dating back to over 5000 years. The present temple is a recent structure, with a main shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva.
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