Champavati Temple, Chamba

Built by Raja Sahil Varman in the memory of his daughter Champavati in Chamba, this temple is a pilgrim destination for many tourists. The temple, which holds great religious and historical significance, is located nearby Treasury building and Police Post in Chamba. It can be discerned by its Shikhara style and several ornate stone carvings that make it unique from other temples in this region. The Shikhara style of this temple reminds travelers of the architectural wonders of Nepal that features cylindrical structures categorized into 5 to 9 parts.

It has a large wheel on the rooftop that distinguished it from other temples in North India. Due to the magnificence and grandeur of the temple, it is always compared with Laxmi Narayan Temple. Many pilgrims visit here to worship and pay their respects to the shrines of Vasuki Naga and Wazir. This temple holds great historical and archeological value, and is looked after by the officials of Archeological Survey of India. Tourists may plan their visit to this temple from March to June as the climate remains pleasant.

History Champavati Temple is named after Champavati, who was the daughter of King Sahil Varman, the founder of the temple. It holds great historical and religious relevance for many hindus. This temple enshrines a deity of Goddess Mahisasuramardini, the avatar of Goddess Durga. As per the legend, the daughter of King Sahil Varman Champavati was a spiritual person and she always used to visit ashrams and temples. But the king was wary of the intentions of his daughter and so he followed her into the home of a sadhu with a dragger in his cloak. After reaching there, Besides, the king was suspecting about her actions and then followed her to a sadhu's place with a dagger in his cloak. After reaching the ashram, he found no one was there. Both sadhu and his daughter were disappeared. Then as he turned to return, he heard someone's voice saying that his daughter had been taken away from him just because of his suspicious feeling towards his religious daughter. Also, he was asked to construct a temple at that location so as to avoid any future disasters on his kingdom. Then Kind decided to build Champavati Temple that was built in the memory of his lost daughter.

Fair and Festivals: Fairs and festivals are held every year in the month of March and September when Navratri starts and thousands of visitors or devotees throng this place during these months.