Information of Dhari Devi Temple, Rudraprayag, Uttarakhand

Dhari Devi Temple is an ancient Hindu temple built for Kali Maa on the banks of River Alaknanda. It is an important temple for the Hindu peoples to visit in the Himalayan temple pilgrimage. This is a goddess temple having much historical and religious significance in the Gharwal region of the Himalayas. Recently this temple was in great controversy and was once shifted and reinstalled to the same area due to a power project construction works. This temple is also related to be a curse for the 2013 Uttrakhand flood for shifting the deity of this temple. It stands aloft on the trembling river waters of Alaknanda along with the beautiful mountain valley of Rudraprayag District, Uttrakhand State in India.

Dhari Devi Temple Religious Significance

Dhari Devi Temple is an important temple to be visited in the char dham pilgrimages. This Kali Maa is known to be the protector of these dhams on these mountains. The name Dhari is put since it was created by the villagers named Dharo. It is believed that the main deity changes here identity as a young girl in the morning and women in the mid day and an old woman in the evening. Here the Kali Maa is emerging out of a stone where her half portion only seen, either from head to the stomach area. The other portion is found on the Kalimath temple. It is believed that this idol was once washed away in flood and got struck here. Apart from pilgrims it is a famous local temple for its villagers. Here daily rituals are conducted by its temple priests. Many come here to get blessed by the Kali Maa before starting their char dham journey towards the greater Himalayas.

Festival at Dhari Devi Temple

The Navarathri is the main temple festival of Dhari Devi. This is a nine days festival celebrated very grandly by its devotees. On this occasion the river banks alongside this temple is filled with pilgrims and its local villagers. It is like a great fair on this river banks where the temple is located.

Dhari Devi Temple Mythology & History

As per mythic stories, the idol of Kali Maa was washed away by a flood waters and it got struck where the present temple is seen. Kali Maa evoked it villagers known as Dharo and made them to worship here where her idol was found. That's why there is no roofs found for this temple. As per Maa's wishes she was kept open in the air. The recent controversy of this temple is, a mega power project was planned to construct nearby this temple where the suggestion to replace this temple was announced. But many religious peoples and its locals were unhappy by this move. The day the main idol was shifted to an upper hill area. On the same night the worst ever seen flood and rain occurred. Many Hindus believed that it was the curse of Kali Maa for shifting here abode place. A similar event took place when the Gharwal ruler did the same kind of shifting in 1882 AD and the consequence was a massive landslide.

Dhari Devi Temple Architectural Significance

Dhari Devi Temple is seen atop a 20 feet huge rock on the banks of Alaknanda River which is having an altitude of 560 meters above the mean sea levels. The entire top portion of this rock is carved in to plane surface. This temple is found in the Nagara architectural pattern of those found in the North Indian Hindu temples. There is also having beautiful rock cut steps built here all over this huge rock such that the temple can be accessed easily from the flowing river waters. A stone block path way is built from the banks to reach this temple. These are supported with steel handle bars on its sides for the hand support of peoples reaching this temple. One can see many bells tied along these steel bars as offering to this temple. On the top of the rock there are carved out complexes with stone slabs as its main structure. The entrance side, one big porch is built. A small pyramid sized dome is seen on the main building. The main deity is seen as emerging out of a rock and kept in open place. It is a black sculptor depicting a beautiful Kali Maa.