Hidimba ( sa, हिडिम्ब, ) was a powerful demon king who is mentioned in the epic
Mahābhārata. He was killed by
Bhima and this is recounted in the 9th sub-parva (Hidimba-vadha Parva) of the
Adi Parva.
Death
The demon Hidimba lived in a forest along with his sister Hidimbi. While travelling, the
Pandavas
The Pandavas (Sanskrit: पाण्डव, IAST: Pāṇḍava) refers to the five legendary brothers— Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva—who are the central characters of the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. They are acknowledge ...
stopped in that forest to rest while Bhima stood on guard. Hidimba ate human flesh and became eager to devour them. He sent Hidimbi to kill the Pandavas and to bring them back to him. Hidimbi went on his instructions, but her mind changed on seeing Bhima. She assumed the form of a beautiful woman and told about her brother to Bhima. She proposed him to become his husband.
Hidimba got furious at his sister and rushed towards her to kill her. Bhima interjected Hidimba and challenged him to fight him instead. The sleeping Pandavas woke up on hearing the sounds of them fighting and offered to help Bhima in killing Hidimba but Bhima asked them to watch the duel as spectators.
Arjuna reminded Bhima that daybreak was about to set in and the demons become stronger at that time and Bhima should kill Hidimba as soon as possible. Bhima ended up crushing and tearing Hidimba into two pieces.
Temples
There are a few temples dedicated to Hiḍimbā's sister
Hiḍimbī in
Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh (; ; "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen mountain states and is characterized by an extreme landscape featuring several peaks ...
.
The most famous temple is the
Hiḍimbā Devi Temple in
Manali. Some of the sacred objects enshrined here include chariots, footprints and a small statue. Hiḍimbā is one of the most powerful deities in
Kullu Valley. The pagoda-shaped wooden temple, situated in the
Deodar forests Deodar Forests are forests dominated by ''Cedru''s ''deodara'', also known as Deodar Cedars. These types of trees are found naturally in Western Himalayas from Gandaki river in central Nepal to Hindukush Mountain range in Afghanistan.
Deodar C ...
, has intricately-carved wooden doors and wooden
shikhara
''Shikhara'' ( IAST: '), a Sanskrit word translating literally to "mountain peak", refers to the rising tower in the Hindu temple architecture of North India, and also often used in Jain temples. A ''shikhara'' over the ''garbhagriha'' chambe ...
, is believed to be over 500 years old.
Festivals
Believers may travel to the town of
Kullu to participate in the annual festival of
Dussehra, where Hiḍimbā's chariot leads a rally of gods from all over the Kullu valley, escorting the main chariot of
Raghunāth. At the end of the seven-day festivities, on the "Lanka Dahan" day, sacrifices are made to Hiḍimbā. Ghaṭotkaca is also a popular deity in the neighboring
Banjar village and
Siraj district.
See also
*
Hidimba Devi Temple
Hidimba Devi Temple, locally known as Dhungari Temple, also known variously as the Hadimba Temple, is located in Manāli, a hill station in the State of Himāchal Pradesh in north India. It is an ancient cave temple dedicated to Hidimbi Devi ...
References
Rakshasa in the Mahabharata
Characters in the Mahabharata
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