Mandi Ardhanarishwar Temple- Himachal Pradesh

Address

Mandi Ardhanarishwar Temple- Samkhetar Road, Samkhetar, Mandi, Himachal Pradesh 175001

Diety

Ardhanarishwar Amman: Parvati

Introduction

Ardhnarishwar Temple, located in Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, is a modern temple. The presiding deities are Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. The image installed is of Ardhnarishwar (half-Shiva, half-Parvati) in which the right half of the stone image represents Lord Shiva and the left half is his consort Parvati. There is a slab joined with this image on which the vehicles or the vahana of these deities, the bull and the lion are carved. The temple also holds the images of Bhairon and Lord Hanuman and has a cellar, porch and a mandap.

Puranic Significance

The mandapa is open to the skies and birds often fly in. In the four corners, there are sculpted figures covered in silk; while its arched, open windows are decorated with floral designs. The four pillars of mandapa give it an ascetic air; their capitals bear soothing, symmetrical designs. The temple is under the jurisdiction of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). The legend about the half-man half-woman form tells that Shiva assumed this guise when he found Brahma unable to proceed with the process of creation. This fusion of male and female principles is one body. Shiva to the right and Goddess Parvati to the left are among the wonders of the sculpture of Himachal Pradesh.