Bhaktikalpa

Sthalam

Tara Devi temple is one of the most visited religious places in Shimla. It is installed at a height of 7200 feet above sea level and situated around 11 km away from Shimla city. There is a Shiv temple Shiv Bavdi nearby.

Tara Devi temple was built by Sen dynasty kings sometime around 1766 A.D.The fort of Giri Sen is still there in Junga.

According to a story which traces back to 250 years, the king Bhupendra Sen built the temple and after he had a vision in which Goddess Tara Devi asked him to install a template there so that people could get her blessings. He also installed a wooden statue of Goddess there.

Later, King Balbir Sen had a vision of Goddess Tara where she asked him to install the temple on Tarav hill top. The king did the same and also erected an idol of Goddess made up of “Ashtadhatu”, a mix of eight precious elements. The idol was carried on an element named Shankar.

The Name Tara
Tara Goddess in Hinduism and Buddhism is second of the Ten Great Wisdoms called ‘Mahavidyas’ and is known to be a source of all energies. The word ‘Tara’ is derived from Sanskrit root ‘tr’, which means to cross. The word ‘tara’ also means star in many Indian languages.

Surrounding
The template has the backdrop of the Himalayas. There are forests on one side and roads on another.

Puranam

Positioned at an altitude of 1,851 above sea level, the temple has recently regained its old charm and glory after a hard work of nearly 3.5 years. More than one and a half dozen artisans worked day and night to replace the old structure and add beauty to its marvel. The Rohru artisans, using the ancient technique, worked on the woodcarving whereas the Kinnauri artisans contributed to the silver work.

On July 20, 2018, the statue of Ma Tara was re-installed with due rituals performed by 90 priests. Now, the temple also features the idols of Maa Saraswati, Ma Kali and Ma Bhagwati.

Dating its history back to 250 years, the temple has an interesting mythological story behind its origin. According to the popular belief, the idol of Goddess Tara was brought from West Bengal to Himachal Pradesh.

It is generally said that a King from the Sen dynasty had once come to this area along with a small idol of his personal family deity in the form of a gold locket. He used to wear this ornament in his upper arm. While hunting in and around the dense jungle of Juggar, he forgot his path to go back home and fell asleep. While sleeping, he dreamt that Goddess Tara and her gatekeepers Lord Hanuman and Bhairav requested him to unveil them to people.

Immediately, the Maharaja decided to fulfil the desires of Ma Tara and donated about 50 bighas of land to construct the temple. Thus, a temple was built there with a wooden idol of the deity for people to pray and seek blessings.

After some years, another king of the same dynasty had a vision in which the Ma Tara wished to be on the hill top of Tarav Parvat. Soon, the temple was shifted there and a magnificent idol, made of “Ashtadhatu” was installed in a grand ceremony in the year 1825. Since then, the members of Sen dynasty follow the old traditions and worship their family Goddess on the Asthami day every year.