कांगड़े दा टीला ओ माता, गर्वे सिंघे घेरिया। अकबर कांगड़े चढ़ आया ओ मेरी माँ। सुत्ती ऐ की जाग दी तू, जाग अम्बे रानिये। गर्वे ने पाई लिया घेरा ओ मेरी माँ। A very famous bhajan from Kangra of Mata Bajreshwari Devi, remembered often across north-west India today, talks of the Kangre da Tilla or the Mound of Kangra, referring to the place where Bajreswari Devi is present. She is popularly also know as Kangra Mata, and the legend is that the place was set up by burying the kaan or ear of an asura who was killed by the Pandavas on the orders of the Devi. There are such bhajans for other major temples in the region as well, but as a history enthusiast, this one often draws my attention. The story of Kangra is as much the story of the civilizational wounds that the plains experienced; or perhaps it was worse, given how many times temple desecrations were made a conscious strategy. This song, at some level, seems to pass on the memory of one such gory experience that was witnessed by the peopl...
The Rock Cut Temple Complex of Masrur Rock cut monoliths are an interesting and rare feature in India. Himachal Pradesh, curiously, houses one such set. Only four monolith temple structures are known in India in places as far away from each other as one can imagine. Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu and Ellora in Maharashtra are globally famous, carrying a reputation of their own. The monoliths are not restricted to just the south though - Dhamnar in Rajasthan, and Masrur in Himachal Pradesh are the other two sites of India. Masrur in Guler, Kangra district, in fact is the highest in terms of altitude, located 2500 feet above sea level. As per Professor N P Singh , the local legend of Masrur is linked directly to the Pandavas of the Mahabharata. This is not surprising, given that this is located in the old Jalandhara/Trigarta kingdom which also apparently fought on the side of the Kauravas in the war. The temples, as per legend, were built by the Pandavas during their agyatvas ...