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A temple where Hindus, Buddhists pray together

From Tibetan Buddhist Encyclopedia
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Trilokinath Temple situated in Lahaul-Spiti has equal religious significance for Hindu and Buddhist devotees, who visit here in large numbers to seek the blessings of Lord Shiva and Lord Buddha.


Dipender Manta

Trilokinath Temple situated in Lahaul-Spiti has equal religious significance for Hindu and Buddhist devotees, who visit here in large numbers to seek the blessings of Lord Shiva and Lord Buddha.

Surrounded by mountains and a river flowing below, the Trilokinath Temple brings together people from two faithsHinduism and Buddhism. This temple stands as a beacon of hope for several devotees of both religions. It is the only place of worship, where Buddhists and Hindus pray together to the same deity.

The temple is situated at Triloknath village, 6 kilometres south of the left bank of the Chandrabhaga River, and nearly 9 kilometres from Udaipur village in the district.

According to locals, the temple had a marble statue of a six-headed Avalokiteshvara, which was stolen decades ago and replaced initially with a crude image made of grey stone, and later with the present six-armed white marble Avalokiteshvara, which is attributed by some to the 12th century. It is revered as Avalokiteshvara by Buddhists and as Shiva by Hindus and is crowned with an image of Amitabha Buddha — the Buddha of boundless light.

Mahesh, a resident of Triloknath village, said the origin of the temple remains a mystery. Many people say it was originally a Buddhist monastery or a vihara, while authors Hutchinson and Vogel suggest it was built as a Shiva temple but was turned into a Buddhist monastery in the 8th century by Padmasambhava, considered by Tibetans as the founder of the Nyingma school of Buddhism.

“It is said a Kullu Raja reached Trilokinath and tried to take the idol with him, but was defeated in the attempt, as the stone became too heavy to move. There is a mark on the right leg of the marble figure, which is said to have been resulted from a sword blow by a Kullu soldier of the time” he said.

In the courtyard, there are large Buddhist prayer wheels and a granite lingam and small Nandi (bull) representing Shiva, while the ancient wooden pagoda-style temple is decorated with Tibetan prayer flags. Both Hindus and Buddhists celebrate the three-day Pauri Festival here in August.

Typical of the style introduced in the region during the 7th and 8th centuries, this temple consists of a curvilinear stone tower shikhara. The temple is under the control of the government and the Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM), Udaipur, is the chairperson of the temple committee.

According to SDM Subhash Gautam, the annual income of the temple is Rs 25 lakh approximately. A large number of devotees across the state and other parts of the country visit here during the summer season, when the area is accessible to them. Due to heavy snowfall during the winter season, the road gets blocked for months.

Last year, there was a theft on the temple premises at Trilokinath, when robbers tried stealing the antique idol and in the process robbed some cash. The alert villagers averted the theft of the idol, but the offender succeeded in fleeing. Till now, the police are clueless about the accused.

The SDM said: “The temple stands as a beacon of hope for both Hindus and Buddhists as they pay obeisance to their respective Gods peacefully together. After the theft, we have engaged two Home Guards personnel for night patrolling. Apart from this, one priest and three other employees are engaged for the upkeep of the temple. A temple inn has been constructed close to the temple premises to facilitate visitors during night stay on nominal amount.”

The SDM said efforts were being made to provide all basic amenities to visitors here and beautify the temple premises as per the demand of local people. It has become the epicentre for religious tourism in Lahaul valley, which is witnessing thousands of devotees round the year.

Inside the temple, there are two gold-painted columns, which are a measure of devoteesmorals. Ashok Kumar, a resident, said: “If you have done good things in your life then you can easily pass through the space between the column and the wall. But if you are a sinner, then no matter how thin you are, you will not be able to get through that space”.



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