Khokhan is a village in the

Kullu district Kullu () is a List of districts in India, district in Himachal Pradesh, India. It borders Shimla district to the south, Mandi district, Mandi and Kangra district, Kangra districts to the west, Kinnaur district, Kinnaur to the east and the Lahau ...

Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh (; Sanskrit: ''himācāl prādes;'' "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a States and union territories of India, state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen Indian Himalayan ...

state,

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. It is located close to the towns of Shamshi and Bhuntar in the Kullu valley. Administratively, Khokhan constitutes a Gram Panchayat, led by an elected Pradhan, in the Kullu block of the Kullu district. The village is located on east and north-east facing slopes, and most of the village receives abundant sunlight throughout the year. This village is known for the Adi Brahma temple and the Khokhan Wildlife Sanctuary.

Adi Brahma Temple

The Adi Brahma temple is right above the Khokhan village. According to the historian O.C. Handa, the Adi Brahma temple has a four tier, pyramidal-style roof, in the 'hansakara' style. All in all, the temple is about 20m in height, from base till the top. Architectural as well as relic-based evidence at this site suggests that the present structure dates to the 14th century A.D., likely built by Raja Ban Sen (1301-1346 A.D.) of Mandi, on the site of an older, 'shikhara' style stone temple from the 10th-11th century A.D. This temple is a 'dehra' (resting place) of the deity Adi Brahma, whos
moharas
and 'rath' (palanquin) are placed in a 'bhandara' (treasury) across this mountain. Usually the dehra remains closed, and is opened only when the deity comes visiting, on his palanquin from the Bhandara. According to custom, the Adi Brahma deity, called Devta Adi Brahma, is considered as a brother to the female deities of two nearby villages: Jwala Mata of Shamshi and Naina Mata of Bhulang. At a spur to the south of Khokhan village, there is a much more recent and smaller wooden temple of the deity Veer Nath. This deity is also related to the Devta Adi Brahma. There is also another temple for Adi Brahma, built in the same style, at Tihri in

Mandi district Mandi district is one of the central districts of Himachal Pradesh state in northern India. The town of Mandi is the headquarters of the district. The main native language is Mandeali. As of 2011, it is the second most populous district of ...

of Himachal Pradesh. In local folk belief, the Adi Brahma temple of Tihri village is related to the Adi Brahma temple of Khokhan village.

Khokhan Wildlife Sanctuary

The nearby Khokhan Wildlife Sanctuary is named after the Khokhan village.

References

Cities and towns in Kullu district {{HimachalPradesh-geo-stub, date=January 2015 Buildings and structures in Kullu district Hindu temples in Himachal Pradesh