Himachal’s temples offer spirituality and more; they offer relative solitude, pleasant encounters with simple people and unparallelled joy.
The Joy of Himachal Temples is a visual celebration. The joy of the temples, the people, the landscape and the legends.
Samatva
Byte Sized Travel Stories
people, places and stories.
nothing else.
just the trivial things.......
that make travel interesting....
and memorable
Next series .... Not so common places

Perfect setting for the soul. Baijnath

When the whole town is a temple, Kullu Dussehrah

Variety of Manikiran

The pleasure of doing nothing at Ki

Philosophy at a glance, Kardang

Lake placid at Renukaji

Hanumanji at hilltop, Shimla

Land’s end at Bharmour

Mataji, Mountains and Maggi, Dainkund

The perspective of Buddha, Langza

Everyday life at Kali Bhari, Shimla

One of her kind, Bhimkali at Sarahan

Hatkoti, on its own

Harmony lived each day, Triloknath

Sun Temple of Sutlej Valley, Nirath

Coming out of Mud, Dhankar

Sun Temple of Sutlej Valley, Nirath
Sun Temple of Nirath. Temples of Himachal …3.
Depending on the source you rely on, there are 2 or 4 or 12 Sun temples in India. Konark takes most of the mind space, deservedly. Nirath along the banks of Sutlej in Himachal hosts one of the small and quaint Sun Temples. I was biking back from Chitkul, which is marketed as the last village in Indian territory. I know a 80 year old lady who has incredible travel spirit and she suggested stopping by Nirath. So, I went.
The town is a sliver of settlements between the Hindustan-Tibet (yes) highway and the Sutlej river. The temple is tucked away and you would miss it if you just stick to the highway. It has its own Goshala and a tiny grazing ground and in fact, a calf was lounging by the dining area when I paid a visit.
The cow at its dining grounds at Nirath
It was almost noon and there was no one around. The temple was locked, but there was a way to jump in. By the time I was ready to leave, someone came and opened the gate, and pointed out a mobile number scratched on the wall — a contact for the Pandit.
Nirath is small but the journey has its own rewards. Two hours from Shimla and the road drops by 7000 feet to reach the Sutlej valley, a spectacular drive by itself. In and around Nirath, you can see the magic that the Sutlej weaves, especially in monsoons. The drive is also along the apple country that eventually leads to Kinnaur.
Sun temple, Sutlej and apples… Nirath.
Sutlej, like a ribbon, near Nirath

Perfect setting for the soul. Baijnath
Baijnath, Temples of Himachal…16
Timeless, grand, picturesque, popular, clean and peaceful. Very few temples have the perfect mix that Baijnath has. It is the setting for the soul.
Timeless worship
It is perched 50 meters high from the undulating Palampur fields. The river Binduka cuts a shallow valley along the edge of the hills. The temple has a recorded and verified history of 800 years; and possibly a timeless one before that. Shiva is worshipped as the Lord of Physicians in Baijnath.

The temple is about fifty feet tall, very grand for this region. The architecture is impressive, with several elements of temple design integrated. Unlike most other temples of Himachal, it also has two balconies at the ground level.
The sculptures are a delight. They are richly carved; and the style and proportions of the sculptures are very uncommon. A standing Nandi and a slightly kneeling Ganpati are wonderful. A dash of hibiscus on the Ganpati; that sight alone captures the joy of idol worship.
Idols, worshipped, adorned
It overlooks the entire Dauladhar range that rises from 500 odd meters to almost 5000 meters in a single vertical span. In between is the shallow valley with a gently flowing Binduka. There are only a few temples that can match the setting, like Kedarnath, Mahabalipuram, Tiruchendur, Somnath..
It is maintained by ASI, so there is a nice clear grassy perimeter; and photographs are allowed. The temple excels in cleanliness even for Himachal standards. The calm of the temple is incredible even though it is on the highway.
For a complete temple experience, Baijnath is one of the places to head to.
I first went to Baijnath in Himachal with my in 2013. I have been there twice since then, once for gratitude and the second time with son; and there will be more times.
The region around has so much to offer; the grand paragliding experience at Bir, the tea estates (overrated) of Palampur, the calm of Kanbari ashram, and the temple stretches of Chamunda and Kangra. It is an endless list.
Along the poong dam The Toy Train itself Joginder Naar with moonlight
Then the incredible views of Dhauladhar hills from Andretta. Then there is the Barot valley and its funicular which I hope to see one day. The piece de resistance is the toy train that runs from Joginder Nagar to Pathankot. The train travels through unparalleled (and totally underrated) variety of landscapes overlooking lakes, rivers, gorges, snowclad mountains. It is actually a train that transports, without the touristy character of other hill trains.
If you have a chance to spend two or more days out of Delhi, head to Baijnath region. Gaggal airport of Dharamshala is 50 kms from Baijnath.
A short beautiful drive through tea gardens; and then you are at the perfect setting for your soul.