Kangra Fort
fort · 2.2 km away
temple32 min from Dharamshala
Vajreshwari Devi Temple, Kangra
Vajreshwari Devi Temple in Kangra, also spelt Brajeshwari or Kangra Devi, counts among the 51 Shakta pithas, with Durga worshipped as thunderbolt goddess.
What it is
In Kangra town, in the valley below Dharamshala, stands the temple of Vajreshwari Devi; you will also see it spelt Brajeshwari, Bajreshwari Mata or Kangra Devi. Here Durga is worshipped as the thunderbolt goddess, and the name joins the Sanskrit words for thunderbolt and goddess. Among the smaller shrines around the main tower is one to Bhairava.
Photos: Ms Sarah Welch (CC0) · Ms Sarah Welch (CC0) — via Wikimedia Commons, resized.
Getting there
By road it is about 18 km and 32 minutes from Dharamshala, in Kangra town. Kangra Fort is nearby, which is why the two usually go together.
The visit
Tradition lists it among the 51 Shakta pithas, the places where parts of Sati's body are said to have landed, and here it was her left breast. The courtyard is busy with pilgrims most days, and the stone shikhara rises over it, with carved stone at its base. Little is published about the temple's building history in the sources we use, so this guide gives no date.
When to go
Any month, with weekday mornings quietest. See when to visit Dharamshala.
Around it
Kangra Fort and Chamunda Devi Mandir are the other stops on the same road. The temples and heritage plan puts all three on day one.
Plans that include this
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Questions people ask
What is Vajreshwari Devi Temple?
The goddess Durga is worshipped here as Vajreshwari, the thunderbolt goddess, in a Hindu temple in Kangra town. Locals and maps also write Brajeshwari, Bajreshwari Mata or Kangra Devi. Smaller shrines stand around the main tower, and one of them is a Bhairava temple.
Why is the Kangra temple a Shakti Peeth?
Tradition lists it among the 51 Shakta pithas, the sites where parts of Sati's body are said to have landed. At Kangra the part was her left breast, which is why the goddess is worshipped here and why pilgrims come from the plains as well as the hills.
How far is it from Dharamshala?
About 18 km by road, roughly 32 minutes by car from the centre of Dharamshala. It is in Kangra town, close to Kangra Fort, so the two fit into one outing, with Chamunda Devi Mandir on the way back to McLeod Ganj.