Rampur Bushahr
Rampur Bushahr, on the Satluj, was the winter capital of the Bushahr state and a trading town on the Tibet routes, known for the Lavi fair each November.
Himachal Pradesh⛰ 2,313 m2 itineraries
Sarahan
Sarahan at 2,313 m above the Satluj: the Bhimakali Temple, the winter capital Rampur Bushahr and the temples of Nirmand, with measured drive times.
Itineraries you can copy
All 2 →
Day plan · First visitTemples & heritage
One day from Sarahan — the Bhimakali Temple and Rampur Bushahr
A one-day Sarahan plan: the Bhimakali Temple with its three courtyards, then the drive down to Rampur Bushahr, the old winter capital. Free, copyable itinerary.
Best Apr–Jun · Sep–Nov
See the plan →
1 night · 2 days · First visitTemples & heritage
Two days around Sarahan — Bhimakali, Rampur and the temples of Nirmand
A two-day Sarahan plan: the Bhimakali Temple, a night in Rampur Bushahr, then the old wooden temples of Nirmand on day two. Free, copyable itinerary.
Best Apr–Jun · Sep–Nov
See the plan →Sarahan is a small town at 2,313 m above the Satluj in Shimla district, and the reason to come is the Bhimakali Temple, the temple of the goddess who presided over the rulers of the former Bushahr state. It is counted as one of the 51 Shakta pithas, and it is a kath-kuni building of stone and deodar with Hindu and Vajrayana Buddhist touches, which reflect the trade that once passed through on the old Indo-Tibetan road.
Sarahan was the summer capital of Bushahr and Rampur Bushahr, 79 minutes down by road on the Satluj, was the winter one, so the two towns make one trip: the temple on the ridge, the old trading town on the river. Past Rampur, 17 km further up the Satluj valley, Nirmand has a cluster of old wooden temples, and it is a night on from Sarahan rather than an extra stop.
A day covers the temple and Rampur; two days add Nirmand. See the one-day plan and the two-day plan, things to do in Sarahan, when to visit and how to reach Sarahan.
Photos: Gerd Eichmann (CC BY 4.0) · Harpreetsinghmohali (CC BY 4.0) · Ms Sarah Welch (CC0) — via Wikimedia Commons, resized.
Places worth the drive
Nirmand temples — Ambika Devi and Parashurama Kothi
Nirmand, called the Kashi of the Himalayas, has old kath-kuni temples to Ambika Devi, Parashurama and Shiva above the Satluj, 17 km beyond Rampur Bushahr.
Bhimakali Temple, Sarahan
The Bhimakali Temple at Sarahan, also written Bhima Kali, is a 13th-century kath-kuni temple and one of the 51 Shakta pithas, with three courtyards.
On the map
Open the Sarahan map →The places a Sarahan day reaches, with the road time from town. Each opens on the map with its plans and pages beside it.
Before you go
All articles →Things to do in Sarahan — 5 stops, and which need a car
Five things to do around Sarahan, from the Bhimakali Temple and the old Indo-Tibetan road to Rampur Bushahr and Nirmand, with measured drive times.
How to reach Sarahan — distances and drive times
How to reach Sarahan by road from Shimla, Narkanda, Chandigarh and Kinnaur, with measured distances and drive times and the nearest airport.
Best time to visit Sarahan — season by season
When to visit Sarahan: snowfall from November to March, mild summers from April to July, October for Durga Puja, and November for the Lavi fair in Rampur.
Questions people ask
What is Sarahan known for?
The Bhimakali Temple, the temple of the presiding goddess of the rulers of the former Bushahr state, counted as one of the 51 Shakta pithas. Sarahan was the summer capital of the Bushahr kingdom, and Rampur Bushahr, down on the Satluj, was its winter capital.
How many days do you need in Sarahan?
One day covers the Bhimakali Temple and a drive down to Rampur Bushahr, which is 79 minutes away. A second day adds the temples of Nirmand, a further 17 km up the valley beyond Rampur. Most visitors treat Sarahan as an overnight stop between Shimla and Kinnaur.
Is the Bhimakali Temple affected by conservation work?
Part of its foundation collapsed in 2022, and a committee assessed the damage in 2023 with experts from IIT Mandi. We have no verified opening hours or entry rules, so ask in the town before you plan around the visit and expect scaffolding or restricted areas.
Photographs by Wikimedia Commons contributors (CC0, CC BY, CC BY-SA), resized; each picture is credited on its own page.