Overview
Fast Fact
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Best time to visit Hatkoti
Hatkoti see huge crowds for nine-days Navratri melas in April and October, dates for which are choosen according to the lunar calendar. Barring Navratris, It's a quiet shrine. The temple is open through the year but for all practical purpose closes when it shown in December-January
The beautiful Pabbar Valley opens up at Hatkoti (1400m), the confluence point of Bishkulti with Pabbar, on the Shimla-Rohru road. Hatkoti is a famous temple-village surrounded by paddy fields. It attracts large number of pilgrims and visitors through out the year.
Some 105 kilometers east of Shimla, in Jubbal Tehsil on the banks of the river Pabar, lays the mysterious valley of stone temples Hatkoti. Close by stands a small village by the name of Parhaat. At Hatkoti, two other small mountain streams Bishkulti and Raanvti join the Pabbar. The color of the Bishkulti (vish-khalti) water is somewhat grayish and the local belief says that the stream oozes out poison. With the convergence of the three water streams (sangam), according to the Hindu mythology makes Hatkoti a place fit to be a pilgrimage.
Himachal itself, studded though it is with temples, has a very special reverence for Hatkoti, the abode of Goddess Mahishasurmardinian incarnation of Durga.
As the converging point of three streams, Hatkoti offers a great sense of ethereal experience, which makes it a significant spot in a pilgrim's itinerary. Encircled by pretty fields of lovely paddys, Hatkoti gives the visitors an exceptional devout sensation, which gets them closer to the lord. A remote place in the suburbs of the Shimla valley, the silence prevailed in the holy terrain of this pilgrim centre obliterates all worldly longings from the minds of the devotees.
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Places to visit in and around Hatkoti
Hateshwari Temple Complex (1400 m) :
The classical Shikhra style temple is dedicated to goddess Mahishasurmardni (locally called Hateshwari). This is dated to 7th-8th century and in 1 885 was given a pagoda roof. The central image is exquisitely molded in brass. The adjoining Shiva temple is of the latika type and has same remarkable wood carvings. It is belived that during Mahabharta epic Pandvas are regarded to have lived here for a while.
Jubbal (1892 m) :
90 km from Shimla and 20 km from Hatkoti. Once held the ruling seat of the princely State, Jubbal has superbly maintained Palace which was designed by a french architect in the 1930 and is remarkable mix of european and indigenous styles. This Place is also famous for delicious apples orchards.
Kharapathar (2673m) :
85 km from Shimla and 29 km from Hatkoti. Motorable on Shimia Rohru road. A famous religious shrine Giriganga is 7 km on foot or by a jeep. HPTDC tourist Complex Giriganga Resort is under construction . -
Fairs and Festivals Hatkoti
Twice a year, during the Chaitra Navratra (April) and the Asvin Navratra (October), the temple complex reverberates with the sounds of bells and cymbals and khartals. On both occasions a fair is held, attracting pilgrims from far and near. Those who worship Durga in the form of Shakti sacrifice a goat or sheep, those who worship her in the form of Vaishnavi, offer flowers and halwa. Himachali folks make offerings of parched rice and homegrown walnuts, as these are considered highly acceptable to the Devi. In the past, a buffalo (Mahish) was sacrificed, a practice which has been banned by the government now.
When the noise and bustle of the fairs has died down, the Hatkoti temples revert to a slumberous state, tended by a lone pujari and visited by the odd devotee. But weddings and other ceremonies are often held at the temple of Durga because the presence of the Devi on these occasions assures happiness and fulfilment.
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