The Tara Devi Temple is situated at the top of a hill called the Tara Devi Mountain in Simla, Himachal Pradesh. It is one of the famous temple and most popular tourist attraction of the city,surrounded by lush green devdar trees, green forests and green meadow. The temple was built approximately 250 years ago, Every year thousands of pilgrims visit Tara Devi temple. Himachal Pradesh also has two other most popular Hindu temples Chamunda Devi Temple and Jawala Ji temple.

Tara Devi Temple, located in Shimla is a very famous tourist attraction of this place. Situated at a distance of around 11 kilometers from Shimla, this famous temple can be visited while traveling on the Kalka - Shimla National Highway. The Tara Devi Temple is situated at the top of a hill in Simla and the lush green environs surrounding it give the temple a very peaceful and tranquil atmosphere. One must visit this temple to check out the breath taking views of the countryside. The backdrop of the lofty Himalayas and the clean and fresh air works wonders and makes your vacation worthwhile.

History

The origin of this temple can be traced back to around 250 years. It is said Goddess Tara was brought all the way from West Bengal to Himachal Pradesh. A King from the Sen dynasty visited this place after some years. He had brought along a small gold locket in which his an idol of his deity was encased in gold. He always wore this locket in his upper arm. The idol remained encased in that locket for many generations to come. One fine day, Raja Bhupendra Sen (of the 96th generation) had an unusual incident. While hunting in a dense forest, he had a vision of Goddess Tara along with Hanuman, who desired that she should be available for the public to pray and seek blessings.

Immediately, the Maharaja donated a big piece of land to build a temple dedicated to Goddess Tara. Thus, a temple was built and a wooden idol of the Goddess was installed for people to worship. After some more generations, Raja Balbir Sen had a vision in which the Goddess had wished that she be installed at the top of a hill known as Tarav Parvat. The Maharaja got a temple built at the top of the hill and got a beautiful idol made out of "Ashtadhatu", a rare combination of eight elements. He got it installed in a grand fashion by taking out a huge procession and carrying the idol on the top of an elephant named Shankar. The temple stands in its entire splendor even today on this hilltop.

How to Reach

Shimla is located in the north of India in the lap of the mighty Himalayas. Though it is surrounded by lofty mountain ranges, the place is well connected to the rest of the country by all means of transport. In this section that has been titled "how to reach Shimla", you shall find information regarding all queries about reaching Shimla and getting to Simla. You will get all required information over here and traveling to Shimla will seem like a cakewalk.

By Air Shimla can be easily reached by air. The place has its own airport at a place called Jubbarhatti, which is located at a distance of 23 kilometers from the main city center. Flights from New Delhi, Chandigarh and Kullu (another hill station) operate on a daily basis. Jagson Airlines is the flight that operates from these places on a regular basis.

By Train The nearest railway station that connects Shimla to neighboring states is at Kalka. This place is located at a distance of 96 kilometers from Shimla. From Kalka, it takes around 6 hours to reach Shimla. The frequency of trains that ply from Kalka to Shimla is pretty good, with atleast 4 trains plying to and fro from Shimla. The journey from Delhi to Kalka is an overnight journey and reaches Kalka early morning. There are many tunnels en route with the longest being 1.2 kilometers long!

By Road Shimla is well connected to neighboring places like New Delhi and Chandigarh through national highways. The journey from Delhi to Shimla by road takes approximately 8 hours. The highways are well maintained by the authorities and are a pleasure to drive on. There are many tourist buses that ply from neighboring places to take tourists to this beautiful hill station.11 kilometers from Shimla