Mahasu Devta Temple, Hanol

About

Mahasu Devta Temple (Mahasui: 𑚢𑚩𑚭𑚨𑚱 𑚛𑚲𑚦𑚙𑚭 𑚢𑚫𑚛𑚮𑚤, Hindi: महासू देवता मंदिर) is on the Tons River in the village of Hanol (near Chakrata), in Jaunsar, Dehradun district, Uttarakhand, India. The temple is dedicated to Shiva (locally known as Mahasu Devta), considered one of the most sacred deities in the Mahasu region.

The original temple (of which only the garbhagriha, or sanctum, survives) has a curved shikhara in the Nagara style. The original mulaprasada (main shrine) dates to the 9th–10th century CE. The mandapa and mukhamandapa (entrance area) were added later and have undergone changes. The stone-and-wood temple, built in the Kath Kuni style, is included in the Archaeological Survey of India's list of ancient temples under the Dehradun Circle, Uttarakhand. It is about 156 km from Mussoorie, and about 140 km from Shimla.

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)。Photography via Wikimedia Commons.