Bhimakali Temple, Sarahan
temple · 1 min from Sarahan
Day planFirst visitTemples & heritagerelaxed
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.
One day that follows the two capitals of the old Bushahr state: the summer capital at Sarahan, with the Bhimakali Temple, and the winter capital at Rampur Bushahr, down on the Satluj. The temple is the longer visit and the reason to start early.
The temples of Nirmand lie beyond Rampur and need a night; the two-day plan adds them. Timing is in when to visit Sarahan, and the stops are in things to do in Sarahan.
Photos: Gerd Eichmann (CC BY 4.0) · Harpreetsinghmohali (CC BY 4.0) — via Wikimedia Commons, resized.
Who this is for
Anyone based in Sarahan for a night who wants the temple and the old trading town in one day.
Day by day
Day 1
The temple above, the trading town below
The temple first, while it is quiet, then the drive down to the river and back up in the afternoon.
- 08:30Bhimakali Temple, SarahanWalk the four gates and three courtyards slowly: the Narsingha temple, the Raghunath temple and the twin towers of the goddess. Ask in town about access first.
- ↓ 1 h 19 min by road · 39 km11:30Rampur BushahrThe winter capital of Bushahr on the Satluj, 79 minutes down the road. See the town, the Padam Palace and the market, and keep November in mind for the Lavi fair.
Getting there
Sarahan is about 156 km from Shimla, roughly 293 minutes by car on our routing. See how to reach Sarahan.
Where to stay
Stay in Sarahan, next to the temple. Rampur is a half-day trip from there and back.
Know before you go
- We have no verified temple hours or rules; ask in Sarahan before you plan the morning around the visit.
- Fill the tank before the drive down to Rampur, and start back up by mid-afternoon so you are not on the hill road after dark.
Places on this route
Other ways to do it
All Sarahan itineraries →
Questions people ask
How long does the Bhimakali Temple take?
Allow most of the morning. There are four gates, three courtyards and the carved twin towers, and the temple is the main reason to come to Sarahan. We have no verified opening hours, so ask in the town first and expect some areas to be restricted while conservation work continues.
How far is Rampur Bushahr from Sarahan?
About 39 km and 79 minutes by car on our routing, down towards the Satluj. The road back is the same, so the day is about three hours of driving with the temple in the morning and the town in the middle of the day.
Can you do Nirmand on the same day?
Not comfortably. Nirmand is 17 km beyond Rampur, about 115 minutes from Sarahan, so adding it turns a relaxed day into a long drive in the dark. The two-day plan gives it a night in Rampur or Nirmand and a morning of its own.