हिंदीOn this day
Standing

Mahasu Devta Temple, Hanol

On the Tons river at the edge of Uttarakhand and Himachal, the four Mahasu brothers rule the valleys of Jaunsar-Bawar as their gods and judges. Hanol is the seat of the eldest, Botha Mahasu.

Built: Stone and timber temple on the Tons river, in the old Himalayan style; protected by the ASIWhere: Uttarakhand (Dehradun district, Jaunsar-Bawar)Deity: Mahasu Devta (Mahashiv), the four brother gods of Jaunsar30.97° N, 77.93° E
Photo: Ayushpainuly · CC BY-SA 4.0

01The four brothers

The Mahasu katha of the valley tells of a demon, Kirmir, who devoured the people of the Tons. A Brahmin, Huna Bhat, went to Kashmir and prayed to Shiva, and the four Mahasus, forms of Mahashiv, appeared out of the earth at Hanol in answer and destroyed the demon. Botha Mahasu stays at Hanol. Pabasik, Basik and Chalda Mahasu have their own seats, and Chalda Mahasu, the moving one, travels from village to village in a palki for years at a time. The god is consulted as a judge; quarrels over land and water are settled by an oath before him.

02The temple on the Tons

The temple is built of stone courses laid between timber beams, the style of the western Himalaya, with a tall roof of slate and a carved wooden mandap. Only the priests enter the inner sanctum. The Archaeological Survey protects it, and its wall carvings are among the finest in Jaunsar. Offerings of silver and gold come from as far as Himachal and the old Rawain; the rulers of Sirmaur and Tehri sent gifts. The Jagra festival in Bhadrapada keeps the god awake through the night with song.

Visiting

About 190 km from Dehradun via Chakrata and Tyuni. Photography inside is not allowed.

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