In the hill station of Manali that is situated in the state of Himachal Pradesh, one can find the beautiful Hidimba Devi Temple, near Dungri. The Hidimba Devi temple is a primitive cave that was built in commemoration of Hidimba Devi, a mythological character in the great Hindu epic.

The picturesque surrounding adds to the beauty of the Hidimba Devi temple. At the foot of the Himalayas, this Hidimba Devi temple is encircled by the cedar forest.

This sanctuary is built over a gigantic rock projecting out of the ground, which was revered as a figure of the deity. However , instead of enriching any `idol`, the deity is being represented by this 7.5 cm (3 inch) tall brass image .She is thought to be the manifestation of Durga, popularly known as "Hill Mother" or the deity of the earth.

This sanctuary is built over a gigantic rock projecting out of the ground, which was revered as a figure of the deity. However , instead of enriching any `idol`, the deity is being represented by this 7.5 cm (3 inch) tall brass image .She is thought to be the manifestation of Durga, popularly known as "Hill Mother" or the deity of the earth.

The designing of the Hidimba Devi temple too is quite exquisite and also uncommon. In an elaborate way , the wooden doors of this Hidimba Devi temple has been carved out. In the top of the sanctuary also , a wooden tower , popularly called shikhara, has been nicely placed .

This shikhara is about twenty four meters tall and is consisted of 3 square roofs clad with timber tiles, crowned with a fourth roof .

It is cone shaped roof, made up of brass metal. In the interior of the Hidimba Devi temple , there is a huge rock which occupies most of the place , sparing only space for the ground floor. The base of the hidimba Devi temple is `whitewashed` by stone works that are covered with mud.The main doorway is intricately shaped out from wood and is supposed to be more than four hundred years old. It is also interesting to know that the rope hanging from the ridge is thought to have been used for hanging by hand . After that, they were wounded and being dangled over the huge rock . All the blood shedding is done in the presence of deity herself.

Various legends are popular about the formation of Hidimba Devi temple. A legend is popular in the region about the construction of Hidimba Devi temple. In the year 1553, Maharaja Bahadur Singh, who promised to the Hidimba deity of the Mahabharata epic, constructed the `structure`.

s per the popular one , after the Pandava kings of the great epic Mahabharata ere deported , all of them took refuge in the Himachal region. During this time, a mighty demon or `Rakshasa` , namely Hadimb attacked them . After a terrible fight, Bhim, the strongest Pandava brother, ultimately killed this demon. The sister of the defeated demon was Hidimba who got married to Bhim .She also gave birth to Ghatotkach who also showed his skill as strong ` warrior` during the battle with the Kaurvas. Although Bhim came back from Himachal after the end of exile , Hidimba did not follow her husband . Instead she stayed back . With lots of devotion she did ` Tapasya` and then acclaimed the status of the goddess after a certain point of time. Several fairs are feted in the region. Feting the birthday of the goddess Hidimba , another fair has been organized on the first of `Jaisth`, or 14th of May which lasts for 3 days. Myriads of males, females and children took part in the rulers. Special food and drinks like rice bear , popularly called Lungri, are part and parcel of the people . In fact they also get engrossed into the mood of merry making by singing and dancing.