Trilokinath Temple
temple · 3 min from Mandi
Day planFirst visitClassicrelaxed
One day in Mandi — the temple circuit
A single-day Mandi loop: Trilokinath, Ardhnareshwar and Panchvaktra — three ASI-protected Shaivite temples in the "Varanasi of the Hills." Free, copyable plan.
A single day for anyone based in Mandi with one free morning — Trilokinath Temple, Ardhnareshwar Temple and Panchvaktra Temple, three of the town's ASI-protected Shaivite shrines, all a few minutes apart.
It doesn't reach Pandoh Dam or Rewalsar Lake, the two proper day trips further out — see the two-day plan for both.
Photos: Gannu03 (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Pinakpani (CC BY-SA 4.0) — via Wikimedia Commons, resized.
Who this is for
Anyone with a single day in Mandi, or breaking a longer Himachal circuit with one night here.
Day by day
Day 1
Trilokinath, Ardhnareshwar and Panchvaktra
Three ASI-protected temples, all within a few minutes' drive of each other in Mandi town itself.
- 09:00Trilokinath Temple, MandiA three-faced Shiva murti gives this temple its name — "Lord of Three Worlds" — on the right bank of the Beas.
- ↓ 3 min by road · 1 km10:00Ardhnareshwar TempleOne of very few temples in India dedicated to Ardhanarishvara, the composite half-Shiva, half-Parvati form.
- ↓ a short walk11:00Panchvaktra Temple, MandiA five-faced Shiva shrine at the confluence of the Beas and the Suketi Khad, among the primary ASI-protected temples in town.
Getting there
Mandi is reached from Chandigarh by car or bus — about 164 km and just under three hours. See the hub guide for the full arrival table.
Where to stay
Stay in Mandi itself — all three stops on this day are a short taxi ride from the centre.
Know before you go
- These three temples sit close enough together that a slow walk between them is genuinely possible, not just a taxi hop.
- A modest donation is customary at each temple rather than a fixed entry fee.
Places on this route
Other ways to do it
All Mandi itineraries →
Questions people ask
How far apart are Mandi's three main temples?
Just a few minutes by road from each other — Trilokinath, Ardhnareshwar and Panchvaktra all sit within about 2 km of central Mandi, close enough that some visitors walk between them rather than taking a taxi for each separate stop on the loop.
Why does Mandi have so many old temples?
The town is said to hold around 81 old stone Shaivite temples, several protected by the Archaeological Survey of India, earning it the nickname "Varanasi of the Hills" or Chhoti Kashi — a genuine concentration of temple architecture rather than a single headline shrine.
Is there an entry fee at Mandi's temples?
No — a modest donation is customary rather than a fixed ticket price, in keeping with most working Hindu temples in this part of Himachal Pradesh. None of the three main stops on this route charge for entry of any kind at all.