Once the capital of ancient Chhattisgarh state, it is one of the oldest cities of India with a history dating back to 10th century BC. Now a small town, Mallhar is famous for some 10th-11th centuries temples. The Pataleswar Kedar Temple with Gomukhi Shiva-ling is the main attraction of Mallhar. The Didneswari Temple and Govt. Museum with good collection of old sculptures are other must visit places in Mallhar.
The old capital of the Chhattisgarh state, famous for the Ratanpur Fort, temples and a number of beautiful and intricately carved statues of Gods and Goddesses. The Mahamaya Temple, Baba Bairavnath Temple, Bhuddeshwar Shiva Temple, Ekbira Temple and Ratneswar Mahadev Temple are a must visit on your Bilaspur Tour.
This is a famous shrine about 20 km from Bilaspur, in tehsil Sadar named after renowned 'rishi' Markandeya who lived and worshiped there. According to a legend a tunnel connected Markand and Vyas cave and the two 'rishis', Vyas and Markandeya used to visit each other through this sub-terrain path. In addition to a shrine there is also a water spring of ancient fame where a night fair is held annually on 'Baisakhi' day. Markand gets its name from sage Markandeya who performed his penance here. The sage underwent severe austerities on his body in pursuit of eternal knowledge.
The cave temple of Baba Balak Nath is thronged by devotees all the year round. It is situated on the Dhaulgiri hills on the border of Bilaspur and Hamirpur (40 Kms from Bilaspur and 45 Kms from Hamirpur) and is well connected by roads from all sides. Shahtalai associated with legends of the saint is about 5 km from Deotsidh. En-route Deotsidh, one can enjoy pleasing sights of Bhakra Dam as well as of Shri Naina Devi temple complex. Nangal, the gateway to Bhakra dam is about 100 km from Hamirpur.
Located on a hill overlooking a bustling bazaar, the Shri Naina Devi Temple is a beautiful temple. One can reach the temple either by climbing the stairs or through a ride in a cable car. The choice is yours.
A notable place of worship in the district is the temple of Shri Naina Devi Ji, situated on the hill top which rises some 915 mt. above the sacred town of Anandpur Sahib in Ropar, The temple stands on the very summit of the hill above a small bazar and is reached by a long flight of stone steps or by a cable car.
It is an interesting cave located on the left bank of river Satluj. It is believed that Vyas Rishi meditated in this cave in the ancient times. This cave is a famous pilgrimage of Himachal Pradesh.
5 km from here on Narag-Sarahan road, located a famous Bon monastery known 'Yungdrung Bon Monastery' being run by Yungdrung Bon Monastic Centre. This was founded in 1969 by the Abbot Lungtog Tenpai Nyima.
Another cave temple that allures the visitors and the devotees alike is the Shakhni Mahadev Temple. It is one among the triple shrines along with the Jakholi Temple and Luturu Mahadeva.
Perched at the higher ranges of the Himalayan peaks this temple proffers an idyllic and soothing environ to the devotees. It displays dazzling artistic excellence and the 'shikhara' style architecture definitely demands great amount of appreciation.It is believed that a holy darshan of Lord Shiva would fetch good fortune to the devotees and so it happens to be a crowd puller in the locality.
An amazing peace of architecture, which is constructed high up in the lofty peaks, Luturu Mahadev Temple is a standing testimony to the never ending might of the rajputs. Surrounded by the unreceptive crags and the inhospitable terrain forces oneself to think about the strain that might have taken by the people in taking the material atop.
One of the few temples in India that is unharmed by the invading Muslim rulers of Medieval times, Laxmi Narayan temple gains much significance.The temple is supposed to be of 1000 years old and it is believed that the famous Kalash was built by King Chattar Singh in the1664-90 AD as an insolence against the regal orders proclaimed by the Delhi Durbar for the annihilation of Chamba temples.