Image Source: Mohit Wadhawan
About Mathi temple
Chitkul, one of the highest settlements in the Baspa Valley, is located in the district of Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh. Immense with beautiful flora and fauna, the valley is famous for its scenic beauty among visitors. But visitors don’t know the valley has many historical places to explore. MathiDevii Temple, the 5th-century BC temple, is one of the oldest temples in the region.
The temple is dedicated to the Devi Chhitkul Mata, commonly known as Shiromani Mata.
Mythology of Mathi temple
According to the legend, once Lord Badrinath’s wife, Mathi, was determined to travel to Tibet from Vrindavan,. So she started the journey, and she reached Barua Khad. Beyond which she discovered the region was divided into seven sections. Narenas, who was her nephew, was the deity of the Shuang Village. She made all provisions for the welfare of the residents and appointed Narenas as a watchman of the village. As she proceeded further, the next Chasu village came across. Here she found that Narenas is again the deity of this village. She made similar arrangements as the previous village.
After Chasu village, she reached Kamru fort, which comes under the third division. The lord Badrinath was protecting the village and the throne of Bushar. Seeing all the arrangements in proper order, she moved to the next Dhumthan subdivision. She appointed her husband to take care of her. In Rakcham division, she gives responsibility to Shanshares, and in Rupin Ghati to Barang Nag. At last, she reached Chitkul and made her final abode. She started supervising all divisions in Chitkul. As the day passed, the area around Chitkul became prosperous, increasing the wealth of the locals.
All such happenings increase the belief of locals in her, and they start worshiping whenever calamities or disasters meet. It increases the importance of the Mathi temple to the people of the temple as the goddess of Kinnaur.
Architecture
The Mathi temple is a classic example of the Kathkuni/Pahadi style, which is a combination of wood and stone. This style is quite prevalent in a number of temples in Himachal Pradesh.Mathi temple presents beautiful wooden artwork and has a blend of traditional Hindu temple and dragons outside. The temple is famous for unique wooden architecture with handwork on wooden walls and roofs that are simply marvellous. The statue of Mathi Devi is fully decorated and also made of walnut wood.
The palanquin of Mathi Devi is made of walnut wood and decorated with a tuft of the tail of a yak. Every morning, she is ritually bathed by priests, who light incense in her honour while temple musicians sing songs in her praise.
The view of the entire temple premises with the background of the surrounding Himalayas will definitely calm your mind ! The temple is very clean and well maintained. The Mathi temple lies in a temple complex with two other temples. Among the three temples, the oldest one is believed to be constructed by a resident of Garhwal around 500 years ago.
Things to Remember
Parking space is available near the temple at a distance of 100-150 m.
You must remove shoes before entering the temple premises. Going near the main temple is restricted but you can have a darshan from a distance.
The road to Chitkul is not in good condition so its better to hire a taxi from the place where you are staying. It can be covered in a single day from Sangla at a cost somewhere between 2000-2500 INR.