Location

Shri Maa Chamunda Devi Temple is dedicated to the worship Of Maa Chamunda, The Fierce Form Of Maa Maha Kaali. The temple is located 19 km away from palampur town in dharamshala tehsil of kangra district of the northern indian state of himachal pradesh.

The address of the temple is as follows:

• Chamunda Temple path, dadar, himachal pradesh, 176052.

Historical background

The temple is ancient and has a lot of spiritual legends attached to it. Around four centuries ago, a king and a priest sought Permission From The Divine Mother to relocate the temple to a more favorable location. In response, The Divine Mother Appeared In the priest’s dreams, Instructing him to excavate a specific area of land. To their astonishment, the priest discovered An Ancient Idol Of Maa Chamunda Devi At that very spot. The Idol Was Subsequently Consecrated In the same location And Has Been Venerated there ever since.

Intriguingly however, when The Idol was found and attempts were being made to remove The Idol, the king ordered laborers to do so, but all their efforts proved futile. Later, The Divine Mother Reappeared In the priest’s dreams, And Mentioned that the laborers were unable to remove The Idol because they regarded The Idol as ordinary when It Actually Held Great Significance. The Divine Mother Instructed the priest to rise early in the morning, purify himself through a bath, don sacred attire, and pay Due Reverence To The Idol. Only then, the priest was told, would he be able to relocate The Idol, a feat that had eluded all others. The following day, the priest shared this remarkable story with everyone, attributing the events To The Divine Mother’s Benevolence And Power, and finally gained success in removing The Idol.

Shri Maa Chamunda Devi Temple timings

The temple has different timings for summer and winter. In summer the temple is open five days a week, from 5:00 AM to 10:00 PM. In winter the temple is open five days a week but from 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM.  

Aarti timings:

In this temple, aarti is performed two times a day. In winter, the morning aarti happens at 8:00 AM and evening aarti at 6:00 PM. In summer however, the morning aarti happens at 8:00 AM and evening aarti at 8:00 PM.

During the hours of aarti, the pilgrims are not allowed to see The Idol. 

How to reach the temple

There are different transport facilities available to reach Shri Maa Chamunda Devi Temple.

• By air: Gaggal is the nearest airport available. This is connected through indian airlines flights with new delhi and chandigarh.
• By train: The nearest railway station available is palampur. Trains are considered safer and more affordable.
• By road: The major towns like dharmashala, palampur and pathankot have many buses, autos, and cabs which lead to the temple. 

A google map link for visitors’ reference is as follows: 

Google Map