Laxmi Narayan Temple

Lakshminarayan Temple Chamba , Himachal Pradesh

Regarded as the oldest as well as the largest one in Chamba, Himachal Pradesh, the Laxmi Narayan Temple attracts a whole lot of visitors. The six temples in the Laxmi Narayan Temple complex are arranged from north to south and are dedicated to either Shiva or Vishnu. There are also some other temples housed in the complex which together make it extremely attractive. These other shrines include the temple of Radha Krishna, Shiva Temple of Chandergupta and Gauri Shankar Temple.

Though built in the 10th century, the Laxmi Narayan Temple continued to be decorated by rajas who occupied the throne of Chamba afterwards. For example Raja Balabhadra Verma added the metallic image of Garuda on a high pillar at the main gate of the temple while Raja Chhatra Singh contributed the gilded pinnacles on the temple tops. The latter was done as a protest against the orders of Aurangzeb to destroy the temple.