Tara Devi temple is one of the most visited religious places in

Shimla Shimla, also known as Simla ( the official name until 1972), is the capital and the largest city of the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared the summer capital of British India. After independence, the city ...

. It is installed at a height of 7200 feet above sea level and situated around 11 km away from

city. There is a Shiv temple Shiv Bavdi nearby.

History

Tara Devi temple was built by Sen dynasty kings sometime around 1766 A.D. The fort of Giri Sen is still there in Junga. According to a story which traces back to 250 years, the king Bhupendra Sen built the temple and after he had a vision in which Goddess Tara Devi asked him to install a template there so that people could get her blessings. He also installed a wooden statue of Goddess there. Later, King Balbir Sen had a vision of Goddess Tara where she asked him to install the temple on Tarav hill top. The king did the same and also erected an idol of Goddess made up of "Ashtadhatu", a mix of eight precious elements.The idol was carried on an element named Shankar. It is believed that individuals who visit with unwavering devotion will have their wishes come true.

The Name Tara

Tara Goddess in

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

and

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

is second of the Ten Great Wisdoms called ‘

Mahavidya The ''Mahavidya'' (, , lit. ''Great Wisdoms'') are a group of ten Hindu Tantric goddesses. The ten Mahavidyas are usually named in the following sequence: Kali, Tara, Tripura Sundari, Bhuvaneshvari, Bhairavi, Chhinnamasta, Dhumavati, Bag ...

s’ and is known to be a source of all energies. The word ‘Tara’ is derived from Sanskrit root ‘tr’, which means to cross. The word ‘tara’ also means star in many Indian languages.

Surrounding

The template has the backdrop of the

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya ( ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. More than list of h ...

. There are forests on one side and roads on another.

Gallery

File:View from inside Tara Devi temple, Shimla.jpg, alt=View from inside Tara Devi temple, View from inside Tara Devi temple File:Side view of Tara Devi temple, Shimla.jpg, alt=ide view of Tara Devi temple, ide view of Tara Devi temple File:Front gate of Tara Devi temple, Shimla.jpg, alt=Front gate of Tara Devi temple, Front gate of Tara Devi temple File:Welcome Board of Tara Devi temple, Shimla.jpg, alt=Welcome Board of Tara Devi temple, Welcome Board of Tara Devi temple File:Small Temple of btul bhairav in Tara Devi temple, Shimla.jpg, alt=Small Temple of btul bhairav in Tara Devi temple, Small Temple of btul bhairav in Tara Devi temple File:Rules board of Tara Devi temple, Shimla.jpg, alt=Rules board of Tara Devi temple, Rules board of Tara Devi temple

Beliefs

It is believed that Goddess Tara was brought to the lap of Himalayas in Himachal from West Bengal in the 18th century. According to some people, being the Goddess of stars, she watches over everyone from the skies and showers her blessings.

Reconstruction

The temple was rebuilt in 2018 after three and a half years of work and at a cost of over ₹6 crore. The wood carving on the temple is kept as close to original ‘pahari’ style. Precious metals like gold and silver were also used in the decoration. The statue of Tara Devi was also installed on 20 July 2018 in the presence of 90 priests. Idols of

Saraswati Saraswati (, ), also spelled as Sarasvati, is one of the principal Devi, goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the goddess of knowledge, education, learning, arts, speech, poetry, music, purification, language and culture. Together with the godde ...

and

Kali Kali (; , ), also called Kalika, is a major goddess in Hinduism, primarily associated with time, death and destruction. Kali is also connected with transcendental knowledge and is the first of the ten Mahavidyas, a group of goddesses who p ...

are also installed in the temple.

Some other highlights

There is a temple of Batuk Bhairav nearby. The milestone gate is 2.5 km away. People who want to organize religious feast wait for 6 years for their turn.

Celebrations in Tara Devi Mandir

During festivals like

Dussehra Vijayadashami (), more commonly known as Dassahra in Hindi, and also known as Dashāhra or Dashain in Bhojpuri, Maithili and Nepali, is a major Hindu festival celebrated every year at the end of Durga Puja and Navarahtri. It is observed o ...

and

Durga Ashtami Durga Ashtami or Maha Ashtami is the eighth day of the Navaratri festival celebrated by Hindus in veneration of the goddess Durga. In Eastern India, ''Durga Ashatmi'' is also one of the most auspicious days of the five days-long Durga Puja festi ...

, a huge feast is arranged which is attended by a large number of devotees. It becomes very difficult to visit the temple during snowfall and rainy season.

Visitors Count

The temple is open for visit from 7 AM to 6:30 PM on all days. It takes around 2 hours to visit the place. Around 12000 to 15000 devotees visit the temple on weekends and there is no entry fee.

Nearby attractions

Below are some of the main attractions nearby in

: *Centre for Science Learning and Creativity (CSLC), Himachal Pradesh Council for Science, Technology and Environment, 2km from Tara Devi Temple * Annadale * Dorje Drak Monastery / TDAC Nyingmapa Monastery * Vice Regal Lodge * Jakhoo Temple / Jakhoo Hill * Kali Bari Temple * The Mall * Christ Church * The Ridge * Kalka - Shimla Railway * Kufri

References

{{Reflist Shimla district Tourist attractions in Shimla Temples in Shimla Hindu temples in Himachal Pradesh