Lakshmi Narayan Temple Complex

Top choice in Himachal Pradesh

Far and away Chamba's top historical attraction, this temple compound crowning Dogra Bazaar contains a line of six beautifully sculpted stone sikharas (10th–19th centuries), festooned with detailed carvings. Enter from a colourful area of metal-beating workshops, past a distinctive Nepali-style stone pillar topped by a statue of the man-bird Garuda, Vishnu’s faithful servant.

Within the complex, the largest (and oldest) sikhara is dedicated to Lakshmi Narayan (Vishnu). Of the others, three honour versions of Shiva, recognisable by the statues of his 'vehicle', the bull Nandi. The fourth temple's brass images of Gauri and Shankar (Parvati and Shiva) date from the 10th or 11th century.

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