Hidimba Devi Temple

Hidimba Devi Temple in Manali is built in a wooden pagoda style found almost nowhere else among Himalayan Hindu shrines, a four-tiered tower erected in 1553 by the local ruler Raja Bahadur Singh over a natural cave venerated as the meditation site of Hidimba, wife of Bhima in the Mahabharata. The building technique, layered timber and slate roofs rather than carved stone, reflects construction methods shared with Himalayan Buddhist and vernacular hill architecture rather than plains Nagara conventions, making it a useful contrast case for visitors who have just seen stone temples like Baijnath. Its doorframes carry dense relief carving of animal and floral motifs in the local Kullu style. Set in a dense deodar grove, the temple remains an active pilgrimage site and the anchor of Manali's spring Dhungri fair.