Category:Bathu Temples

Bathu Temples, Himachal Pradesh 

A group of Hindu temples seasonally submerged by Pong Dam reservoir since 1970s
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Instance of	temple
Location	Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh, India
32° 02′ 50.05″ N, 76° 00′ 13.13″ E
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The Bathu ki Ladi temples are a group of nine historic stone temples in Himachal Pradesh near Punjab border. They get seasonally flooded every year since the 1970s due to the Pong Dam project reservoir on river Beas. This reservoir is now known as Maharana Pratap Sagar. The temples emerge for about four months over spring and summer when the reservoir waters are low. The idols from these temples were moved to Indora, Himachal Pradesh – about 50 kilometers west of original Bathu temples. However, the relocated idols are no longer worshipped and Hindu pilgrims who used to throng the old location no longer seek them.

The Bathu temples are from 14th to 18th century built by the Guler rulers in the Kangra region. The main temple was dedicated to Vishnu and called Badri Vishal, while the other shrines were dedicated to Shiva, Durga, Ganesha and other Hindu deities. The complex also included a 75 feet tall tower with spiral stairs as an observation post for an attached akhada and monastery.

The Bathu temples has Nagara-style architecture. Before the Pong Dam project, the complex had mandapas and other secondary structures – these cannot be traced.